SAULT STE. MARIE — On May 1, Soo local Shelli Bishop officially fulfilled her dream of opening and running her very own salon.

While owning her own salon is something she has wanted for a long time, Bishop previously made a career for herself in the medical industry operating CT scans.

For 15 years, she was an X-ray technician. When Bishop and her husband decided to start having a family, she quit her job at the hospital to focus on the family, but eventually started working with hair as a side job.

She always had an interest in hair and fashion, and the transition was a natural one. For years, Bishop worked at a local salon building up her skills while her family grew. She now has three kids, ages four, five and six.

"When my husband and I started to build our family I realized I needed a hobby, a passion that I could spend time on now that I wasn't working," said Bishop. "I enjoyed getting extensions, but they were getting expensive, so I thought, 'I can do this on my own.' Eventually I started an apprenticeship."

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With the support of family members, Bishop began working towards opening her own salon.

Wanting her salon to be named something that has importance to her, Bishop took inspiration from a poem that was written by a close friend of hers. While she didn't want to reference the poem itself in naming her salon, she did like the sentiment it showed in the importance of connection to family and friends.

"I've had lots of support from my mom and dad and the rest of my family and I'm really grateful to be here," said Bishop. "It's been a labor of love to change careers like this."

One day when listening to a song from country singer Luke Bryan, Bishop heard him use the phrase deep roots, and it suddenly had an emotional impact on her. Bishop said she felt connected to the idea that she was supported by the tree of family and friends that support her in her dream, and the phrase deep roots helped explain that.

"When I heard the song and I heard the phrase deep roots, it just fit with how I was feeling and how I wanted to stay family orientated," said Bishop.

Deep Roots Salon is open now on 824 Ashmun St. and offers a wide variety of hair services and products to men and women.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: New salon puts down roots in downtown Sault Ste. Marie