"My salon is a work in progress. Once people come in here, I want them to remember that it's different. Like, it's the place with the tin on the walls," he said.

When Johnson decided he'd like to open his own salon, he weighed the pros and cons.

"There were more pros. I purchased TrendSetters in June. Now, I have four hairstylists -- Margaret Brannon, Georgia Embling, Helen Chiccio and Joyce Pulliam. Not only do we have scheduled appointments, we take walk-ins. On Tuesday to Fridays we work 9 to 5 but on Saturdays, it's 9 until we get through," he said.

Johnson is the youngest and only son of Vada and Roy Johnson.

"My parents have been married 35 years and still live on the street where I grew up in Eight Mile. My father owns Johnson Transport, a trucking company. My mother is a substitute teacher," said Johnson, proudly.

While a student at Vigor High School, Johnson's other talents were recognized.

"I played the trombone in the marching band. The Battle of the Bands was always fun. Vigor won contests in Mobile and Birmingham the years I was there. It's fun being on the bus after winning these contests. We were a bunch of teenagers acting a fool whooping and hollering on the ride back home," he said, smiling at the memories.

Johnson, who has sung at Franklin Street Baptist Church since he was a child, also belonged to Vigor's school chorus. But he didn't pursue a career in music. Instead, he worked at Raceway Video store for a couple of years.

In his spare time, he started experimenting with hair styles.

"People told me that I had some skill in this area and should look into it. I got some books and read up on it but still didn't do anything toward becoming a hairstylist. I did learn that you can't bleach one's hair six times in a day. I did that and my hair fell out," Johnson said, laughing. "I guess that was on-the-job experience."

For the next few years, Johnson worked at a convenience store and in his spare time dabbled in learning more about makeup and how to apply it correctly.

"I read books on applying makeup. It's really like the face is an empty canvas and the makeup is the paints. It's like fixing hair -- an artist expression. I lived in Ohio for a while and became a freelance makeup artist for salons and television stations," he said.

Johnson attended cosmetology school at Charles Academy in Mobile, graduating in 2004.

"I worked at Fantastic Sam's in Tillman's Corner, then became manager, and later became manager of N Time Future Salon at the Eastern Shore Centre. I learned so much from their in-house continuing education classes. My next move was to TrendSetters, which later became my salon," he said. "I'm beginning another chapter in the pamphlet of my life."

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