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Meet the Founders of Salon: Creating Lasting Connections Through Storytelling
Meet the Founders of Salon: Creating Lasting Connections Through Storytelling
The Womxn We Love series highlights womxn in the Pacific Northwest that inspire us and whose work we admire.
Salon has inspired the Prairie Underground team since its launch last year. We are thrilled to feature Salon co-founders Priscilla Ward and Chelsea Williams on Womxn We Love
Interview by lilia ramirez
What is & how was Salon born?
Ward: Chelsea and I both thrive in community and share a love for good aesthetics and great fashion. We started Salon a year ago, we simply wanted to talk about our shared passion in an intentional way with other women.
Salon has grown into a community for women who share a love of interior design, fashion, and lifestyle in general. We host monthly events where we hear the stories of dynamic entrepreneurs, designers, and artists, creating opportunities for a diverse group of women to meet and engage.
Williams: We named our brand Salon because historically Salons were regular social gatherings for creatives. In the most familiar sense, Salons are places to feel cared for and important. Both definitions are at the heart of what we do. As non-Seattle natives, we dreamed up spaces where we could show up authentically, meet like-minded people, and celebrate women creating the lives they want to live. We are celebrating one year of Salon this month and it’s beautiful to reflect on the past 12 months to see how Salon has grown beyond our wildest dreams.
Who is Priscilla Ward?
Ward: I am the oldest of four siblings, a D.C. girl, and lover of all things Black culture. Storytelling has played a leading role in my life, particularly in telling Black stories. Growing up in D.C., the rich Black cultural experiences I had growing up there first inspired my love of writing.
I started studying journalism and theater at Temple University in Philadelphia. After graduating, I moved to New York, where I dove into the hustle at places like Health magazine, ESSENCE, and BET.
After five years in New York, I returned to D.C. and started BlCKNLIT. It was a vibrant community for young Black professionals. I co-hosted a weekly podcast from the Line Hotel, chatting with people designing the lives they want with intent.
I have always managed to pursue a side quest outside of my day job, allowing me the chance to experiment and explore my various passions.
These days, I enjoy freelance writing for Dwell, Architectural Digest, The Washington City Paper, and more. By day, I am a project manager at Brooks, the running shoe company. It is the perfect mash-up of my passion for running and creativity. Beyond work, I enjoy traveling and art museums, and I am currently exploring film photography. I have lived in Seattle for two years. It’s completely different from D.C., but I’ve built friendships and found experiences that have made this place feel more like home.
Who is Chelsea Williams?
I’m in a perpetual state of rediscovery. At present, I’m curious. This curiosity fuels my desire to travel, to ask critical questions of myself and loved ones, and to challenge myself in ways that allow me to navigate fear. Throughout the past two years in Seattle, I’ve learned that I am my best self near the ocean and under the sun. I am a fiercely devoted friend and confidant who aims to show up for the people I love in little and big ways. I love a bath, Friday nights at home, and art museum shops.
As a Black, Malaysian-Chinese, Midwesterner, good food and sharing meals with loved ones is a core value. I can often be found praising the cooking talents of family and friends and critiquing meals at restaurants.
I move through the world aiming to build genuine connections and care for people, which extends into my professional career. With a graduate degree in global health, I’ve designed programs to promote nutrition and mental health education and reduce incidence of HIV. Outside of Salon, I work as a project manager in the Global Health Division at the Gates Foundation.
And at the heart of it all, fashion is one of my native languages. My parents instilled an intimacy with clothing as a resource to be seen, command authority, and celebrate my cultures. My love and study of fashion allow me to play, rebel, and be curious.
"Salon is a community for women who share a love of interior design, fashion, and lifestyle in general" - Ward
Ward wearing Que Sera Sera in Fern & Smithy Pant in Drab. Williams wearing Strong Shoulder & Knotty Dotty in Ink Pot
How did you connect?
Ward: One of my best friends, Michele Price, sent me Chelsea’s Instagram after realizing they were following each other. Michele said, “There’s another Black girl in Seattle you should DM her.” I thought, that’s so random, and I wasn’t about to reach out to a stranger. But months later, when Michele visited me in Seattle, she decided to message Chelsea about grabbing dinner. We first connected on a warm summer evening in 2023 over cocktails and oysters. A month later, we went to Beyoncé’s Renaissance Seattle tour stop together, and from that moment on, everything clicked.
Now, Chelsea and I talk every single day, building a Salon community and navigating the ups and downs of life—from work to dating, friendships, and everything in between. It might sound dramatic, but this friendship is truly a miracle. I might have given up on Seattle.
Williams: I’m constantly celebrating social media’s ability to bring people together organically. Priscilla and I are similar in many ways, which has made learning and deepening our relationship through Salon an experience I cherish. We pour so much of ourselves into our business and I could not imagine a better person to navigate this journey with.
What inspires Salon, and what energizes you individually?
Williams: I find energy in freedom of expression and trying new things. For most of my life, I didn’t consider myself a creative person.
When I used to think of creativity, skills like painting, songwriting, fashion design, and woodworking came to mind. Salon has taught me to break that rigid frame of thinking and redefine creativity for myself and others. Priscilla is one of my biggest advocates to pursue my ideas and challenge what I imagine is attainable.
Our Salon community also keeps me motivated. My heart overflows with gratitude and joy after meeting the women who show up and listening to the artists we feature. Every event is a humbling reminder that when the world feels heavy or scary, there are still beautiful people to meet and important moments to celebrate.
Ward: Chelsea and I share a deep passion for interior design and fashion, but our friendship extends far beyond the material things we love. Creating a sense of home in Seattle wasn’t just about aesthetics—it was about fostering meaningful connections, and I approached this with intention. I like to think Chelsea and I’s friendship reflects in what we’ve created with Salon, a sweet landing pad.
Both Chelsea and I are deeply committed to nurturing relationships with women. For me, the friendships that challenge, inspire, and embrace unconditional love and grace have been instrumental in my personal growth and in the way I show up in the world. Whether I’m pushing myself to the finish line of the New York City Marathon or navigating a mental hurricane, my girls have always been there to catch me.
"I believe our stories can thread our experiences together in meaningful ways. That’s why, at the heart of Salon you’ll find the voices and stories of inspiring women" - Ward
I believe our stories can thread our experiences together in meaningful ways. That’s why, at the heart of Salon you’ll find the voices and stories of inspiring women.
How was your experience, feelings, and thoughts of your first Salon event?
Ward: Chelsea and I first envisioned Salon as an intimate 20-person max three-part discussion series on home and intentional fashion choices. However, when 70+ women came to the first event at The Shop by Porter last April, we knew we were on to something special. Every woman came serving a look, eager to meet someone new or reconnect with friends. It was beautiful, and this authenticity has continued shaping our Salon community.
Williams: Validation comes to mind. With the turnout, I realized that I was not alone in my desire to get dressed up, gather with new and old friends in beautiful spaces, and talk about life. I also realized that there were so many stories to tell, including debunking the narrative that Seattle is solely a monoculture tech driven city with no style. Our first event opened my eyes to the opportunities in Seattle and made me excited about what we could accomplish in this PNW chapter.
How does Salon fulfill your life on a personal level? What do you enjoy the most about Salon?
Ward: As a corporate girl, it’s empowering to have something of my own, where I can see my ideas come to life, tell the stories of inspiring women, and build a sense of community with other like-minded women. The storytelling piece is hands down my favorite part of what we do, whether interviewing an entrepreneur, maker, or designer during one of our events or interviewing someone for our Salon Substack.
Williams: Ditto to the collective corporate girl experience of working towards goals and visions that you have little influence on. As most of my day is made up of this experience, Salon fuels my desire to create places that center individuality and feel like home. I’ve enjoyed witnessing the relationships being made at our events. Whether someone comes alone or with friends, it’s been beautiful watching connections form and seeing people resonate with what’s being shared. Some of our features and event partners first came to Salon as attendees and confided in me and Priscilla to share parts of themselves with our community. Through it all, the people we meet and the friends we make are what I enjoy the most.
Summer of Love Series at The Shop by Porter & Galentine’s Day at The Shop by Porter. Photo by Kyla Mae Cantillo + Hanna Stevens
What is your creative process for curating the next Salon event or series?
Williams: Our process is intentional and at the same time the curation of our events often happens organically. All we choose to do is grounded in our desire to build connections in beautiful spaces, celebrate people doing cool things, and talk about fashion, design, and living life well. These values guide our decisions.
Ward: Chelsea and I are deeply inspired by the people we interact with regularly, from brief conversations to encounters with cool entrepreneurs and makers on Instagram; all of this is used as a starting point for the ideation of our Shop Stories events and series.
There is a lot of intention poured into all of your Salon series curation, is there one in particular so far that has left a mark or a big impact on you and why? *Individually or as Salon
Ward: I really enjoyed our Summer of Love series, where we explored self love, platonic love, and romantic love. The whole series was beautiful and took place on the rooftop of The Shop by Porter, but my favorite out of the three part series was probably speaking to Faris Du Graf, the founder of beloved Faris jewelry. We learned how the friendships in her life ultimately helped to mold the Faris brand into what it is today. I can certainly relate to the power of friendships in my life, helping to call me deeper into my purpose and hold me accountable to things I’ve set out to do, so that event really resonated with me.
Williams: I also LOVED our Summer of Love series. This was the first time Priscilla and I expanded beyond fashion and design conversations. While we were envisioning what would come next, I was healing from a recent break-up and we realized many people in our lives were having necessary conversations around self-love, platonic love, and romantic love. Summer of Love was born from our desire to create space for these critical and vulnerable dialogues.
In the same thread, the open mic spoken-word session we hosted at The Shop by Porter’s Galentine’s Day event was one of my favorite moments thus far. The Shop by Porter was our first event location and their team was one of our first supporters so it felt like a homecoming. We partnered with the multi-talented Moni Tep who anchored our evening in spoken word and we invited all in the room to share love notes to themselves, friends, romantic partners, exes, and beyond. So many women expressed words of love, pain, and reflection. I was moved to tears. It was a magical evening.
You empower womxn in every Salon event, whether as a collaborator or by engaging with your community through social media. What has been the greatest feedback?
Ward: One of our Salon community members had the following to say about their experience coming to Salon events, and it really just sums it all up:
"Solange’s talent for storytelling through movement, songwriting, and fashion calls attention to our collective human experiences." - Williams
“Maybe it’s because I’m stubborn, but I detest the idea of the Seattle freeze. It goes against every ounce of identity in my being, every culture that makes me, me. I’ve heard time and time again that this city lacks identity – it lacks community, fashion, conversation, momentum. Salon continues to provide a cherished space – cherished by many aside from myself – where I’ve reconnected with familiar faces, deepened those connections, and built the foundations with new friends. Through shared experience and intentionality, I’ve come to know Salon as a platform – uplifting voices who need it, showcasing art that deserves it, and hosting a space that is that antithesis to the “freeze,” it’s warm, light, and welcoming.”
How do you see salon evolving?
Ward: I would love to see Salon host events beyond Seattle, everywhere from Mexico City Art Week, hands down one of my favorite cities to of course D.C., it’s only right that I bring the brand home.
Williams: Salon goes global!
What is Salon ultimate dream project?
Ward: Chelsea and I are both deeply inspired by the intentionality and depth behind everything Solange Knowles does from her music to design to fashion. The woman is limitless and unabashed in her approach to life. We would love to interview and host a Salon event with her one day.
Williams: Solange’s talent for storytelling through movement, songwriting, and fashion calls attention to our collective human experiences. Personally, her artistic portfolio has given me space to process, cry, and rebuild. A Seat at the Table was released three months into my Peace Corps service while I was navigating my Blackness and womanhood in another country. As my South Minneapolis neighborhood grieved during the months that followed the murder of George Floyd, Solange shared poetry in her 2020 Harper’s Bazaar feature, “I cry for our pain, for our protection… for our healing journeys, for the way we rise for one another when we can’t do the lifting on our own.” The heart of who she is and what she does aligns with Salon in the most beautiful way.
“I cry for our pain, for our protection… for our healing journeys, for the way we rise for one another when we can’t do the lifting on our own.” - Solange
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