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Local salon owner says HB 135 apprenticeship will expand cosmetology access; donates $50,000 to Hamilton Humane
Summary
At a public event, a salon owner described Indiana House Bill 135 as an apprenticeship pathway to cosmetology licensure, highlighted cost barriers to traditional schooling, and said her business donated $50,000 to Hamilton Humane to fund a pet grooming salon.
A salon owner at a public event said Indiana’s HB 135, an apprenticeship program, will create a new pathway to cosmetology licensure and reduce training costs, and that her business donated $50,000 to Hamilton Humane for a pet grooming salon.
The owner told the mayor that the program “has nothing to do with being a business owner and everything to do with growing people,” and said the effort began with a focus on training women while employing men as well. She described HB 135 as “an apprenticeship program” and said the measure faced opposition from traditional beauty schools during the legislative process.
"The beauty schools did not want it to pass. We just felt like there needed to be another avenue, kinda like plumbing, to be able to have a different pathway to licensure," the salon owner said. She added that 33 states already offer similar apprenticeship options and that the Indiana proposal passed after a small group of supporters spoke at a Senate hearing.
The owner discussed cost and timing for existing programs, saying traditional training can run about "$26,000 a year" and that a standard program can take one year to complete, while the apprenticeship path she described would take "almost 2" years but would allow employers to train apprentices according to a specified curriculum. "I'm really excited that we got it passed," she said.
During the same conversation, the owner listed several high-profile clients as examples of work her business has handled and described community giving: "We donated $50,000 to Hamilton Humane for them to have their grooming salon because it makes sense," she said.
The mayor asked how the owner decided to open the business and what advice she had for supporting local businesses; the owner said presence in the community and humility are important and encouraged the mayor's outreach to residents.
No formal action, vote or policy decision on HB 135 was taken at the event; participants described experience with the law, funding for a local nonprofit grooming salon, and business experiences. The salon owner framed the apprenticeship as an alternative pathway aimed at lowering upfront costs and broadening access to the profession.
