Our Neighbor: Whitney Sapp
Whitney Sapp
Dye Pretty is nestled between two art studios and right across the street from Finnegan’s at 621 Trade Street in downtown Winston-Salem.
Whitney Sapp owns and operates the hair salon that doubles as an art gallery and showcases local art during events like First Friday gallery hops.
“There is a sense of brother-and-sisterhood here on this street and in the arts district,” Sapp said. “Downtown is such a small, tight knit community .”
Sapp is part of a growing number of business owners downtown who speak of their devotion to the Art District for its sense of community and encouragement.
“I feel very supported and loved,” Sapp said.
Marsha Hierl, owner of Studio 7 next door, regularly discusses upcoming art shows with Sapp and has her hair cut at Dye Pretty.
“Whitney is almost like my family,” Hierl said. “Her kids come over and play while she works.”
Sapp’s natural, clean aesthetic is evident throughout the store, which is minimally decorated except for a few paintings by local artists and wooden panels from her 1890s farmhouse adorning the front desk and back wall. Disney’s Pandora station and Motown’s greatest hits echo against the bare floor.
Sapp’s career took off after getting her certified master colorist in New York City when a former employer gave her his client list and their color cards when he moved to Virginia Beach.
“So much of my career really just worked out,” Sapp said. “For me, life is one half being me and fighting for my dreams, and the other half is going with the flow and taking what life gives me.”
Opening Dye Pretty was always the main dream for Sapp. The idea for the name came from a chance encounter at the annual downtown Winston-Salem rock ‘n’ roll festival called Heavy Rebel Weekender.
During the first year of Heavy Rebel Weekender, Sapp worked the door and sold cigarettes. “I saw a lady wearing a belt that said live fast, die pretty, and I thought it would be the perfect name for my salon,” Sapp said. “At the time, I had piercings and green hair.”
She registered the name and worked with a graphic designer on the logo for years, with its style evolving as the years passed.
The salon first opened eight years ago on West End Boulevard. Sapp said she knew she needed to get her foot in the door of the growing downtown sector.
Whitney Sapp’s tattoo of the salon’s logo
Sapp and her husband of eight years, Ben, drink coffee in the mornings as they discuss their respective Winston-Salem projects. He has done multiple renovations on the salon in the past and is currently helping to renovate Krankies Coffee.
“He’s my sounding board,” Sapp said.
They live on a farm 45 minutes away with their two kids, age 7 and 5, named Cobra and Suki, respectively, who are homeschooled and do yoga before they start school every day.
Apart from her work at the salon and on the farm, Sapp is also beekeeper, yoga enthusiast, art collector, and fashion designer. She wants to sail around the world and plans to own her own organic hair product line one day.
Sapp and friends help to set up a show during a first Friday gallery hop
Local artists’ works on display
Fellow hair stylist Jon Kliegle joined Sapp 2010 . Kliegle is also a member of a locally based eclectic band called Songs of Water.
“What’s unique about Dye Pretty is that we aren’t afraid to try out new things,” Kliegle said. “By being part art gallery, part salon, sometimes we have some really wild art. I have to accommodate for some of my more conservative clients.”
Jon Kliegle at the front desk
Sapp says she doesn’t see herself as a business owner as much as she does a hairdresser and friend.
“There is so much science, math, chemistry, social, and conversational skills involved in styling hair,” Sapp said. “It can be stressful but equally rewarding because of the instant gratification.”