A step a-head

Salons can change hands and locations as often as women change their hair color, but Houston's Revivance Hair Salon is all about staying-power.

Revivance owner Marsha Majed says the salon has retained nearly 100 percent of its employees and clients since opening in 1986.

After working in salons where negativity festered, Majed says maintaining harmony has helped grow her business.

She opened Revivance, located in downtown's Hyatt Regency Houston, after managing another salon downtown. Launching her business through loans and credit, Majed turned a profit after five years.

This year, Majed expects Revivance to bring in $240,000 in revenue. The salon has five fulltime employees and one parttimer.

Formally educated in her native Tehran, Majed spent 17 years in the banking industry before moving to North Carolina for her husband's job with the Iranian government. When that government collapsed, her family moved to Houston.

Ten years after Majed opened her salon, her husband passed away. Since that time, Revivance has provided an income for Majed, and helped her put her two sons through college.

"During difficult times, you cannot just sit and cry, you have to work harder," Majed says.

She secured loans through a banker and an attorney, opening the 450-square-foot space on the second floor of the Hyatt, where Revivance has operated ever since.

Majed considered banking or interior design before opening Revivance, but her...