The Hair Palace

The Hair Palace owner Salem Shaibi (right) is focused on making the world a better place, starting right where he runs his business. 

From the time he was a young boy, Salem Shaibi wanted to help people. He grew up in California and had mentors who encouraged him in his life. He thought about going into public service but decided that starting his own business might give him more opportunities to make a difference. 

“My vision is to try to make things better than they were before. I know I can’t change everything, but I can try to affect positive change in as many people as possible,” Salem says. “I learned that when you are down, people who care can give you hope. I love working with children and when they get older, maybe they will be inspired to help others too.”

By 2021, Salem had moved to central Virginia and opened the Hair Palace in Mechanicsville. The shop is 24,000 square feet of space in what used to be a local gym. The Hair Palace offers a wide variety of hair and beauty supplies including wigs, hair bundles, and extensions, as well as makeup, nail products, clothing, shoes, and more.The Hair Palace is much more than a business to Salem. It’s a way to help the surrounding neighborhood. “Business can come and go, but having an impact in the community, bringing love and togetherness – that’s what really matters.”  Salem is planning to open another location for the Hair Palace and will be focusing on the surrounding neighborhood to see how he can help. 

Salem and the Hair Palace have coordinated events throughout the year including:  

• Mother’s Day – The Hair Palace created gift baskets for children to give to their mothers. 
• Back to School – School supplies were provided to ensure that students in the area had everything they needed to start school, as well as free haircuts and hairstyles. 
• Thanksgiving – Meals were given to those in need in the community including turkeys and all the side dishes. 
• Christmas – The Hair Palace gave toys to children so that every child could have a wonderful holiday.

The events are high-energy with music playing and additional vendors setting up displays.  “I can’t sleep for two days before an event because I get so excited,” Salem says. “Seeing the children so happy and their parents so appreciative, it means the world to me. We will have success as a business in the long run, but what is most important to me is to help our brothers and sisters as much as we can. That’s what matters – helping one another, loving one another – it’s our responsibility. As long as I’m here, that will continue.”

Salem is enthusiastic about his relationship with TowneBank. “I love TowneBank. I was passing by the Mechanicsville office one time and thought, ‘That looks like a nice bank.’ I went inside and immediately everyone started caring for me and my business, especially branch manager Silvia Evans. It’s incredible and I know everyone by name. They always answer my calls and help me with everything. They introduced me to positive pay which I love and recommend to everyone.” 

 “At TowneBank, it’s a one-on-one connection, and providing people with the best possible service is what they do,” Salem continues. “That’s what I try to do at the Hair Palace. I tell my employees to greet customers and always put the customer first, just like TowneBank does.” 

For more information, visit The Hair Palace’s Facebook page at TheHairPalaceRVA.