Arlington, Tennessee is a small town and there have been many historic buildings and businesses that have opened in the past several years. From restaurants, to new boutiques, to hair salons, Arlington is growing everyday. One of many thriving businesses is Walker Street Salon.  Owner of the salon, Nicole Diffee, spoke about what a day in the life of hair stylist is like, the challenges her and her staff have faced in the past, what she enjoys most about the job, and lastly how they expanded the salon. 

“We have had this shop for fifteen years.” Walker Street Salon was opened by Nicole’s mom and then passed down to Nicole. “I have always had a passion to do hair. I have always been attracted to women’s hair and what their appearance looks like so hair school just seemed to be the right choice for me”.

Nicole took over the salon two weeks before covid hit, which brought about many challenges.  “It was hard for my staff and I to adjust to the closures during that difficult time. Opening a new business, and dealing with a worldwide pandemic… very difficult,” says Differ. However, throughout all the uncertainty, Nicole and her team grew to be even stronger and they re-opened up two months later. Diffee says her “salon and stylists have flourished and we haven’t looked back.”

Walker Salon has expanded to the right of the original building. They now have additional space for clients, staff, and other guests to work more freely and have extra waiting space and room for everyone in the salon.

Arlington is all about community and Diffee has made it very comfortable and enjoyable for her guests. Each stylist offers a different experience for guests. Everyone is different in appearance and personality but they had one thing in common, and it was confidence. Being confident in their skills, and making that confidence shines in their guests. 

View full documentary on AHS TigerLife YouTube.

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Nicole Diffee