arielle venturella
she/they
owner/creator of maeda, HAIR CUTTER, educator
Schedule directly with Ari here.
Ari began exploring hair in 2005 at just 14 years old. Through the support of her parents & friends her creative outlet turned into a lifelong career. While assisting at a salon throughout high school she also attended a local beauty school part time. After graduation she went on to attend The Aveda Institute of Chicago. Once completed, Ari trained in all things hair cutting from her mentor Sanjoy Ghosh for three years & finished out her mentorship at the Arrojo Studios in New York City in 2012.
Ari then began her work & training in textured & curly hair at the amazing Penny Lane Hair Studios in Chicago. After 4 years, Ari moved to London in 2016 & attended The London School of Barbering.
All things haircutting & razor work are her areas of expertise. She believes in clean & sustainable beauty & providing services to her clients that they can maintain at home. Ari’s passions are teaching & providing a space where Maeda’s clients are able to be their truest & most authentic selves.
When Ari isn't working she loves spending time with her friends & family & pup son Ghost. She enjoys hiding at her house in the woods planting, reading, cooking & watching bad t.v.
amelia lemeron
she/THEY
HAIR ARTIST + wedding team leader + CUTS
Schedule directly with Amelia here.
Amelia’s journey into the world of cosmetology started in 2006, after getting a failed “Scene Haircut” at a small town salon where they lived. As one of very few alternative kids, & after this bad experience, Amelia began cutting & coloring their own hair. She learned from Myspace blogs & from hanging around a local salon.
A week after graduating from high school, Amelia moved to Evansville, IN. & attended Roger’s Academy of Hair Design where they honed their skills to reflect their passion for occasion styling & creative cutting.
With their Indiana Cosmetology License, Amelia started their career with Regis Corp. where she worked for the first year. From there she moved to Solaris Aveda, & attended specialty cutting classes at the Aveda Institute in Indianapolis, IN.
In 2012, Amelia moved to Louisville. Since their license was only valid in Indiana at the time, they took a break from the salon settings & worked in other customer focused careers while continuing to take on free-lance projects styling for weddings & events. Amelia found herself back in Indiana in 2017 & after years of freelance work, she joined a team of stylists at Blown Blowout Bar where she worked as a Wedding Hair Specialist, & was finally able to transfer their cosmetology license to Kentucky.
Amelia’s meticulous nature and attention to detail is what lead her to Maeda where she is the leader of the Wedding Hair team. She also loves to create lived-in intuitive haircuts. She strives to provide education to each of their clients so they can achieve great styling results at home & their goal is that when you sit in their chair, you feel welcomed, taken care of & at ease!
When Amelia is not in the salon, she spends most of their time outdoors or creating specialty tea blends for their other love, Sevenbark Teas. Some of their favorite hobbies are studying herbalism & entomology, coffee, cemetery walks, horror movies, & loving on animals.
hannah blakeman
she/they
hair artist/cuts + color
Schedule directly with Hannah here.
Hannah (she/they) is based out of Louisville, Kentucky, and has been a hair artist since 2022. Her art style is heavily influenced by experimental, queer, and underground looks. She also loves to produce timeless, natural-looking styles. She works within her integrity when it comes to healing our bodies and our planet, using low and non-toxic chemicals and operating with eco-consciousness.
Hannah never felt comfortable in a mainstream beauty parlor because of her feminism-fueled aversion to the standard idea of “beauty.” It wasn’t until she discovered other alt and queer hair artists that were flourishing in larger cities that she considered doing hair herself. Hannah wants to be a resource that “gets it” and can do your hair for you when the DIY at home thing ain’t cutting it. Always with zero judgement. Whether you’re a seasoned spa veteran or a young punk finally letting someone else touch your hair, Hannah believes that everyone deserves self care, skilled hands, and safety from harmful chemicals.
Hannah offers private sessions upon request for those who need them for religious or sensory purposes and is accessible to people in wheelchairs. Please reach out via email at hannah@hannahblakeman.com to if you have any other specific needs or concerns.
hannah pierce
she/her
cuts + color
Schedule directly with Hannah here.
Hannah‘s passion for all things beauty began at a young age.
Hannah’s hair career began at Paul Mitchell of Louisville. After graduating in 2018 she began working at LeBliss Salon. Upon the completion of her 6 month assistant program, Hannah became a Level One stylist.
In 2021 she started her first business as a Freelance Stylist & Salon Suite Owner in Louisville. There she honed in on her color theory, highlighting placements|techniques and trendy haircut skills.
Hannah was drawn to Maeda because of the attention to detail, genuine energy, hard work ethic and passion for serving the community. Working at Maeda Hannah enjoys the clean, environmentally friendly products, the perfectly placed plants and decor, the energetic aromas all through out AND the most welcoming, supportive group of like minded stylists.
Hannah strives to create a unique style experience for all her clients. She focuses her attention on delivering services where the guest feels more confident and safe in their own hair and lifestyle practices.
When hair isn’t occupying her time she enjoys painting, hiking in all kinds of terrain (especially the hillsides of KY.), traveling to beautiful new places, hunting down the best local food/coffee spots and relaxing at home watching some kind of documentary.
kat rist
sHe/They
cuts + color
Sensory friendly hair speciALIST
Schedule directly with Kat here.
Kat’s love for being in the salon sprouted after basically being raised in the “beauty shop” by a mom who’s always been a loyal client to her stylists. Her hair has been an important facet of self expression for as long as she can remember, and some of the most prominent memories of Kat’s childhood were of spending time in the salon with her mom and grandma.
During her teen years, after the influence of MySpace had fully taken hold, she became a regular at the local Sally Beauty and started coloring her own hair and clip-in extensions. Eventually, she began coloring her sister’s and friends’ hair as well. This continued throughout high school and resulted in Kat being known for her dramatic color changes and being voted as “Most Likely to Have Fun Hair” her senior year.
Somehow though, it never occurred to Kat to become a hair stylist when beginning to think of a career. After graduating high school, she went on to attend the University of Louisville’s Hite Art Institute. And while it didn’t result in a complete degree, she owes her in-depth knowledge of color theory and passion for art to this time in her educational career. Finally, at the age of 23, Kat decided to make a change and enroll in a cosmetology program. She attended Paul Mitchell the School Louisville, where she was accepted into the Phase 2 program. From there, she graduated and started an apprenticeship with NOVA Salon, and went on to earn her license.
Kat stepped out from behind the chair for a bit to pursue other creative avenues, however she soon found herself missing the art of hair coloring and the satisfaction of boosting someone’s confidence with a new look. After learning about Maeda, Kat knew it would be the perfect salon to begin rebuilding her clientele in. Between the sustainable, eco-friendly, and effective products, the existing group of badass stylists, and the one-of-a-kind atmosphere, it’s a real groovy place! Kat loves to create major color transformations, blondes, vivids, dimensional colors, and cutting textured bobs & lobs!
While Kat isn’t behind the chair, you can usually find her cuddled up with her cat, crafting, journaling, shuffling through one of her Tarot decks, hanging out with her family, listening to spooky podcasts, or watching The X-Files.
savannah thornton
SHE/HER
cuts + COLOR + EXTENSIONS
@_savvyhairwitch_
SCHEDULE DIRECTLY WITH SAVANNAH HERE
Savannah grew up in a small town where she craved individuality and a space to safely express and be her unique and different self. In her spare time she began to cut and color her friends hair. This outlet provided Savannah the safety that she was looking for and has turned into a lifelong career and passion. Doing hair not only provides Savannah with the outlet she was looking for but it also allows her to now offer back that space and offer those experiences that she did not have growing up.
After attending Empire Beauty School in 2021, Savannah Assisted and apprenticed under Katie Lee Jones at Hair Apothecary.
Savannah aims to help others express their uniqueness and individuality through their hairstyle. She is passionate about being a hairstylist for all types of people from all different types of backgrounds, story’s, etc.
Savannah Specializes in creative color, curls, hair extensions, razor cuts, vivids, layered cuts and shags, and has expanded her creative outlets to include film and runway work.
In her Downtime Savannah enjoys spending time with her son and partner, tending to plants, crafting and learning herbalism.
Savannah was drawn to Maeda because of their approach on clean beauty, sustainability, non toxic and eco friendly beauty. Something she is very passionate about
Maeda was the missing piece to the puzzle for Savannah and has created an environment for her to flourish in ways she didn’t know possible.
amy collins
SHE/HER
CUTS + COLOR + EXTENSIONS
@amy.collinshair
SCHEDULE DIRECTLY WITH Amy HERE
Amy Collins began her hair career in 2005 and graduated from The Hair Design School in Louisville, Kentucky. In the early 2000’s she was featured multiple times in the local magazine “Velocity”, spotlighting her love for all things fashion and unique approach to hairstyling.
Amy is dedicated to furthering her education to perfect her craft. She loves to focus on sustainable beauty practices and incorporate them into her own lifestyle and hair services. Amy loves to focus on all types of hair services, including, blonding, haircutting, and extensions.
Outside of the salon, Amy loves hiking and being out doors. She is constantly in search of new vistas. Amy enjoys listening to live music, and spending time with her partner, daughter Sophia, and two kitties. Just like hair, Amy’s passions extend to supporting the recovery community and helping others. Servicing and caring for others is a way of life for Amy, making her a beloved figure both in and out of the salon.
hazel
Boss/Salon Manager
Hazel began her career at Maeda in 2023. Due to her laid back attitude & accommodating personality she knew Maeda was the home for her & a place she could really thrive. When she’s not laying in the middle of the salon floor, you can find Hazel throughout the salon looking for pets from humans & treats.
When Hazel is not managing the shop you will find her napping, traveling, hiking & gardening with her mom, dad & brother Magnus.