Michelle Fawcett is a proud small salon business owner in Des Moines in addition to being a part of Destination Des Moines.
Teyah Lopez/THUNDERWORD
Step inside and you’re greeted at the front desk of the warm and welcoming salon.
Fawcett grew up in Renton which led to questions about which area best suited her for work when she became a hairdresser in 1993.
Starting with very limited resources, straight out of school, Fawcett chose Des Moines for a place of work. Fawcett has paved her way to becoming a vital member of the Des Moines community.
Fawcett was offered a job in Seattle to do work, but then she got another offer from a past salon owner in the city of Des Moines. “I truly love the connection you feel when you are in Des Moines, having a community like this that trusts each other and just knows each other gives it a very homey feeling,” she said.
After weighing her options she chose Des Moines and just a few years later, opened Salon Michelle 18 years ago on June 1.
Fawcett built her business from the ground up. “I didn’t have a loan, I built the salon with my own money and some money I had gotten from my parents that has since been paid back”, she said.
She has been a part of the nonprofit Destination Des Moines organization since the beginning, working hard with other members to bring the community to life.
Michelle Fawcett has dedicated her life to Destination Des Moines and the Des Moines community.
Teyah Lopez/THUNDERWORD
Smiles all around as Michelle works on one of her clients with a fellow coworker.
“I have put in upwards of 10 thousand dollars of my own money into the community,” she said.
For years she has been doing everything possible to keep the community safe and active.
Fawcett has been organizing events and sponsoring most, if not all, events in Des Moines through Destination Des Moines.
“I have never added up the numbers financially because in reality, I just want to help as much as possible…and the number may scare me,” Fawcett said.
Fawcett has been involved with community relations and service since she can recall.
“I guess for as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved helping people and supporting communities that need it,” Fawcett added.
Michelle Fawcett has also been quite the problem solver when she is able to.
“A while back there was a complaint on the community page about the state of the city (Des Moines), referring mostly to the cleanliness of it. So, I had arranged a Des Moines clean up,” she said.
The Des Moines clean up has stayed a constant in the city ever since then, hosted through Destination Des Moines.
Fawcett is willing to take the necessary actions needed to uplift her community anytime.
“I try to satisfy most [of] if not all community members, when I help with the events through Destination Des Moines I make sure to take note of what can be added to the next event,” she added.
“Working within the community and having my own business here in Des Moines was one the best choices I ever made. I would love to see it succeed and expand more,” Fawcett said.