Meet Jackie Christian, the owner of Six17 Salon in Seattle’s Downtown Core. Jackie moved her salon from Atlanta to Seattle in 2019 after noting the frustration of Black women in the area regarding a lack of natural hair care options.
Jackie proudly served the Louisiana National Guard for three years and was active duty Army for 1 year and 1 month. Being raised in a military family — her father, two brothers, and sister are veterans — she says it was an honor to serve her country.
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
Before I became a licensed cosmetologist, I was a warehouse worker [and] forklift operator for the Depart of Logistics for 7 years on Ft. Bragg, NC. I was only one of two women on my entire team. Every morning when I arrive at Six17, I whisper a prayer for good energy for the day and that every person who enters is blessed and that they leave better than they came.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in and why?
My favorite part is actually being downtown. The people, the sounds, the smell of all the different foods. It’s quite impressive. Pre-pandemic was amazing. I was literally living my dream to live and work in the downtown area of a major city. Post-pandemic has been hard, but I believe that Seattle will recover and be stronger and better for the experience.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters?
Because the future of so many small businesses literally depends on it. When the pandemic started in 2020 and we were ordered to close by the Governor, I did that. When we were asked to shelter in place, I did that. When I started the process to secure funding, I quickly learned that I was not being afforded the same access as my white counterparts. I eventually got what I needed, but I came out on the other end traumatized from the experience. I said all of that to say that during that process, my clients were the ones who held me up through online purchases of gift cards. They were intentionally spending like it mattered because it did.