Blogs

I came to QVC in September of 2009. One of the first people I met was this petite woman who was packed with energy, warmth, and talent. Her name was Maria McCool. Her mission was to help me figure out my “style” from head to toe. The first step was taking her "Style Exam" to find out what mine was. We found out that I was primarily a “Creative.” Once that was determined, we dove into my closet. She helped me purge everything that didn’t have a creative/sassy/fun edge to it, like my beautiful, but conservative suits. (I donated practically my entire closet to “Dress for Success.”) It was scary, but I was ready to make a change. Next stop was shopping. Let me preface this by saying that as a kid (and an adult), I only had so much patience for shopping and trying on clothes. I remember my poor mom pulling her hair out during our back-to-school shopping trips. What a nightmare! So, I wasn’t entirely confident it would be much different. But, I’m happy to report that one store with Maria changed my view of shopping and now I love it! She was able to steer me clear of the safe, conservative styles I’d been buying for years (based on my career), and into styles that made me feel like me! The final step was hair. Before I came to the Q, my hair was long (picture “Elaine” from Seinfeld). Maria encouraged me to take another leap of faith and cut my hair to match my style and personality. I jumped and am so glad I did! In about three days, Maria transformed me on the outside to match who I’ve always have been on the inside—the fun, creative, sassy, risk-taking, playful, ever-changing me!

Over the past three years, she has become a dear friend and mentor. Many of you know her for her styling products called Calista Tools, but she's so much more than the innovations she brings to the Q. I asked her if she'd let me interview her. She kindly agreed.

Q: How did you get started in the business?
A: I got started on my dolls. Every doll I owned had a haircut. When I was 12, I gave my first cut and perm to my best friend…who’s still my friend, by the way.

Q: How did it look?
A: Actually, it looked great. We had a sleepover birthday party to go to and she was the talk of the party!

Q: Have you always known this is what you wanted to do?
A: I've always had this fascination with being able to take somebody and transform their look into something they love. So, yes, I knew! In fact, I wrote that I wanted to be a hairdresser in my 8th grade yearbook.

Q: Did you go to beauty school after you graduated high school?
A: I enrolled in beauty school in 9th grade and got a job in a salon. During 10th grade, I went to beauty school for half of the day and high school for the other half. By the time I was a senior, I had passed all of my exams and filled all of my hours and criteria. In my senior year, I went to school until 11am and then went to work cutting hair. I say I’ve been doing this for 25 years, but it really has been longer since I began shampooing hair at 14.

Q: Did you ever consider a different career?
A: No. I actually started competing by 11th grade.

Q: Competing?
A: Yes. There are competitions all over the world for hairdressers, from cutting to coloring. I always did the “total look” competitions, which were complete makeovers . I competed at national levels and went to the Hair Olympics at 19. From there, I went to the Worlds in Australia and placed 6th. Competing was a big part of my life.

Q: What was next?
A: When I stopped competing, I went to work for Paul Mitchell before it was the big Paul Mitchell and Aveda before it was the big Aveda.

Q: Have you always lived in the Philly area?
A: Yes. I was just about to move to L.A. because the exposure of competing gave me some really good opportunities out there. When I told my boss, he said we needed a really great place in the area and he'd like to go into business with me. So, I mulled it over for quite some time while going back and forth to the West Coast. I soon realized I wanted my own business because making someone feel good about themselves has always meant a lot to me.

Q: Is this how Calista Grand Spa & Salon got its start?
A: Yes. "Calista" means "beautiful." My partner's name is Don and I’m Maria (or Marie). I just didn’t think it should be called “Donny & Marie’s” (laughs). One day when we were building the salon and looking for a name, I got a flat tire and was waiting for a tow truck. I went into a bookstore and got a baby name book, flipped through it, and saw “Calista, the most beautiful." I called my partner and said, "Calista’s the name." And in 1989, we opened the doors to Calista Grand Spa & Salon.

Q: Calista is an award-winning salon, right?
A: Yes! We do hair, nails, skin, body, makeup, massage, and wardrobe. We do the total look here and have won in every category for the best in the area. We win Best Day Spa consistently, but we also get Best Manicures, Best Facials, Best Massages…I’m so proud of this!

Q: You’re ranked nationally, too?
A: Yes, we get a lot of press in the magazines. In fact, BE Magazine consistently ranks us in the top salons and spas in the country.

Q: I understand you hold a Guinness World Record!
A: Yes. With 12 stylists in an eight-hour day, we performed the most haircuts. We killed the world record . In the first hour alone, we were halfway to our goal.

Q: How did you get people to participate?
A: We used it as a fundraiser. The proceeds went to a charity I've been involved with for over 13 years called “Shine.” It’s for cancer patients in our area.

Q: What do you do during your time off?
A: I spend time with my kids. They're heavily involved in sports. I’m that mom that drives this one there, this one here. I’m even teaching one to drive right now. We love to ski, wakeboard in the summer, and ride dirt bikes and four wheelers all around our property. We also like to fish and play outside all the time. For myself, I love to do yoga and cook.

Q: How many kids do you have?
A: Three. Michaela (16), Max (soon to be 13), and Rayce (9).

Q: How did they change your life in terms of your career?
A: They gave me balance...and I wasn’t very balanced. I opened my first total salon and spa at 23, seven years before Michaela was born. It was great because I was able to get the business on its feet. When she came along, I still loved what I did, but when it was time to go, it was time to go. I knew someone was waiting for me. I became better at what I do because of them.

Q: Do you see styling potential in any of your kids?
A: Rayce is still to be determined, but the other two style like there’s no tomorrow. They're so full of talent and will have many options. I’m amazed at the outfits they put together and their hair…wow! I feel it’s a “born-into-you” thing and they definitely have it.

Q: What makes Monday nights special for your family?
A: I’m 100% Italian. Traditionally, Italians go to their grandparents' houses on Sundays. Because our kids are heavily involved in sports, we go Monday nights.

Q: What’s the headcount?
A: I have five brothers and a sister (I’m the baby of seven) and there are 13 grandchildren. On a given night, that’s about 20-26 people.

Q: Do you all bring food?
A: Nope. My mom cooks it all. And she cooks chicken cutlets like nobody’s business.

Q: You’ve created everything from shampoos to tools. How do you get your ideas?
A: An idea is usually sparked out of our customers demand for it or a new style. We always strive to give them something that’s going to be easy to use. Generally, the products treat hair as well as style it. We grassroots test everything. It’s all about solving problems for our customers.

Q: What was the first styling product you brought to QVC?
A: Embellish. It’s still a strong seller today.

Q: Why did you create it? What was missing in the styling category?
A: I’m all about style. The challenge with previous styling products was that they were very harsh on hair, but did the trick. Then companies began to make products that were good for hair, but didn’t style it to the level I wanted. So, I created a product that was good for hair and could give me all the style I was seeking. I also found that a lot styling products didn’t work on fine hair, which is about 75% of people, including me. Styling products tend to weigh fine hair down and never worked for me. So, when I created Embellish, I wanted to be sure it would provide more hair types with finished texture and style.

Q: Do you have a favorite tool?
A: I hate to say it, but it’s always my last one. So, I’d have to say the Perfector.

Q: The Perfector?
A: It’s like a blow dryer, round brush, and curling iron melted into one. You get the lift of a blow dryer and the curl of an iron. It happens in an instant.

Q: Which part of the “total look” is your favorite—color, styling, cutting, wardrobe, or makeup?
A: People ask me that all the time. I don’t have a favorite part. It all adds up. It’s like, do you like the sugar or flour in the cake? I don’t know. I just like the cake when it’s done.

Q: How would someone go about achieving their total look?
A: Start with my Style Book Exam to acknowledge your style. There are seven possible outcomes: creative, dramatic, alluring, elegant, classic, feminine, and sporty. Think about what you are and start making your choices around it. I found out early on as a hairdresser that when a Creative comes in and asks for a bob, she might not be happy with it once it's done. If you’re a feminine kind of gal and you like ruffles, flowers, and soft curls in your hair, don’t use a flat iron and straighten it. You’re not going to feel good and you won’t look like yourself.

Q: You’ve accomplished so much as a single mom. What advice would you give other single moms/dads?
A: I'm a single mom, not by choice. I haven’t met a person that doesn’t have trials and tribulations in their life. It’s what you decide to do with them. I decided I didn’t have to be cliché with it. My children are #1 and most definitely my priority. At the same time, I’m allowed to have my own wants, life, and career. Anyone who knows my kids knows they're not worse off for it. I certainly had to get more organized than I ever was in my life to make it happen, not only with my space, but with my time. The truth is you can do it. I've heard many women say, “I’m too old now" or "I’m this or that.” My advice is to just put your hopes and dreams out there and make them happen. I'm single mom with an amazing career and I’m really proud of that.

Q: What’s next for you?
A: My goal now (and I always have one) is to try to figure out a way to deliver my passion and love for “Image Consultation” to everyone.

I hope you’ll join Maria and me on Tuesday, August 28at 2am ET for a full hour of Calista Tools!

—Nancy Hornback