Meet Nancy Fuchs | Owner, Master Stylist, International Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nancy Fuchs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nancy, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
For me taking risks is taking a chance to find out what is out there. Without taking the chance I would never know…
I’ve been taking risks even before opening the salon. I moved to San Diego from Los Angeles, I left a full clientele of 19 years to start a new life with my fiance. At that point in life, knowing my profession inside and out, allowed me to believe that I could start it all up again. In 3 years I grew a clientele. A year after, I opened The Portal Salon, after the pandemic some clients moved, new ones appeared and what it meant for me was that it was time once more to change things up and take a new risk. To create a space where creativity, artistry and collective minds could come together. A more intimate space for clients to connect with their stylists and enjoy their hair experience.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My specialty as a hair artist is to create Custom Cuts and Color to suit each individual that sits in my chair. My craft is not one size fits all and it goes far beyond just being creative, it is the comfort I hear my clients express on how the end results feels. When I am working on each person I really like to listen to their wants and concerns, not only does this allow me to provide great results but it also creates a connection between us and life long relationships.
I take pride in my work and I like the people that work around me to feel just as good when working with their clients. Not everything has been easy,.Some challenges I have faced in my business is understanding that not all hair stylists feel or are driven in the same ways, some might stay and some might be looking for something different. I encourage lots of hair education and events to take us to next levels. We work on photo shoots, travels and get inspired by other educators in our industry…. We thrive on creating great work and continuing in building connections!!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
When we get visitors from outside of the San Diego area, we first recommend Quiet Storm Coffee in Hillcrest, it is a few doors down from our salon. Next is if staying a few nights, stay one night in the Bay Area or seaport to wake up and see the water. Have breakfast at Morning Glory in little Italy. Walk around and go to sea world. Have dinner in North Park then see the San Diego zoo the next day as you come by and say goodbye to us since we are very close to it. Make sure to go to the beach in Coronado, Pacific Beach or La Jolla. Take your dog to the dog beach or just simply sit at a restaurant by the water at Waterfront. So many great places to see everywhere in town

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
In my early years of being a hairstylist I had one of the best mentors, Chiara Scudieri, I assisted her and learned not only hair techniques but also how to take my craft to another level, a big part of what I do is from what I learned from her.
Another biggest support in my life has been my husband Cody Fuchs, not only does he take the business and marketing side of the Salon but also is right by my side in life matters with love and understanding.
The hair community in real life and in social media have been a big example in my business, wins and losses in this game but none the less learning lessons.
This shout out cannot go without the recognition to the people who have been part of my sobriety including my parents, family, friends and God… that is another big story to be continued…

Website: The portal salon.com

Instagram: @theportalsalon @nancyfuchshair @hair_raiser_

Linkedin: Nancy (Opdahl) Fuchs

Image Credits
Marinna Griego