Bobbie Lee Favaron
Owner/Operator/Stylist
Bobbie Favaron Hair Unlimited, Inc.
9766 Jefferson Hwy #100
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
225.295.0807
Those who know how will always have a job; those who know why will always be their boss — Author Unknown
Bobbie Favaron is not only the owner of Hair Unlimited, Inc., but also an operator and stylist at the salon, which is a corporation licensed as a barber shop. He is licensed as a Barber; his employees, licensed cosmetologists. The salon’s main focus is on hair cutting, styling, highlighting, coloring and permanents. “We do hair,” Favaron says when asked to describe his business, “Everything you can do to hair we do, except extensions.” This concentration on the natural side is also evident in the pedicures and manicures offered at the salon. “No fake nails,” Favaron declares.
At the encouragement of his hometown barber, he attended the New Orleans Barber and Beauty School after high school. The plan was for Favaron to begin work at the barbershop and take over the practice when the older man retired. But, six months after becoming licensed, he realized the plan wasn’t going to work. Favaron and his mentor had different ideas about the business. The shop was a typical rural barber shop which only catered to men; Favaron wanted to cover the full range of hair care, including women’s hairstyling. During the 60s, barbers were only allowed to cut hair; working with chemicals for permanents, coloring, etc. was not allowed. Cosmetologists were licensed to handle chemical hair products, though not permitted to cut hair. It wasn’t until the 70s that the State of Louisiana passed a law lifting the restrictions on barbers and cosmetologists duties.
In the early 60s, Favaron had an offer to move to Plaquemine to work in a salon whose clientele was 70% female. Eager to serve a variety of clientele, he jumped on it. He later moved to Baton Rouge in 1966 to become a partner in the Ideal Barber Shop. To advance his education, he took night classes in men’s hair styling. He also became an educator/guest artist for Redken Laboratories, working Trade Shows and doing seminars on hair care and styling. Eventually buying his partner’s share, he continued to operate the Ideal Barber shop until selling it in 1975. He then opened Hair Unlimited in the Southdowns Shopping Center, the first unisex salon in Baton Rouge. Hair Unlimited offered a single location for the whole family, cutting and styling both men’s and women’s hair.
Favaron enjoys working with his clients. “I am a people person. When you cut and style hair, you help people improve their feelings about themselves. It is uplifting to give someone a positive attitude about their appearance. A stylist can make or break a person’s day.“
Happy to be featured in the Library’s Business Person of the Month program, Favaron reports that he and his family use library resources for school, study and pleasure. He keeps up with hair trends by reading several professional and trade publications in the field. When asked to name a favorite book or author, Favaron mentions a group of books on Psycho-Cybernetics he read years ago. He was impressed by these works of Dr. Maxwell Maltz and said he used some of the principles when he was teaching. “It’s basically about training your mind to achieve goals,” he states.
Favaron likes to think of Baton Rouge as “the largest little town you will ever live in.” He explains that Baton Rouge has become the largest city in Louisiana, but has not lost the small town feel. “Baton Rouge has an opportunity here after the hurricanes to be a very progressive, upbeat town. Not that it isn’t now, but this is our opportunity to grow.”
Active both professionally and personally in our community, Favaron serves as Vice-President of the Board of Barber Examiners of Louisiana, which meets monthly. The Board oversees the testing of students seeking licenses as new barbers. They also deal with issues in the state that affect the profession. He belongs to the Baton Rouge Round Table and acts as organizer for their Crewe of Knights’ float in the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade. He enjoys his membership in Les Bon Vie, a men’s dining club, which also does charity work.
In his spare time he and his wife, Glenn, like to spend time on their Sea Ray pleasure boat, “a sort of a motor home on water“. They look forward to relaxing weekends on it and often host Sunday pleasure cruises for friends and family.
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