Local Business Owners Balance Love, Life and Family

It all started at the Emerald Bar in 2006, when Frank Prescott approached Jennifer Carey at a roller derby charity event.

The two struck up a conversation, and a relationship seemed inevitable.

Before Prescott went to leave the bar he said, “I have to see you again,” recalled Carey, now Carey-Prescott.

In September 2007, Frank and Jennifer got married.

The economy was bellyup at the time, and although the duo had never imagined they would own their own business, it seemed like the right move.

Before they knew it, the Prescotts were making arrangements to open a salon.

“It was totally random,” said Frank, referring to the decision to open a business. “I have a high standard for business and I wanted to bring high standards to the area.”

Previously, Frank had another career in mind, but when the economy began to plummet he made a beneficial observation.

Frank was working out of a salon in the early 2000s as a massage therapist when his clientele began to dwindle.

He said that ex-clients would pass him at the salon and complain about physical ailments, but that they could no longer afford regular massage sessions; yet, they were still able to get their hair and nails done.

“It was quite interesting to me because you can pay to look pretty, but continue to walk around in an incredible amount of pain,” said Frank.

, with Frank holding down the Owner/Master Hair Stylist position. He had worked in a number of salons and could not find satisfaction with the business conduct his employers displayed.

By 2009, Frank and Jennifer welcomed a baby girl into their lives. It was at this point that Jennifer’s calling became apparent. She had been an acupuncture physician for years. During her pregnancy, Jennifer gained a new perspective on the possibilities within her practice.

“I began to realize how many things were missing,” said Jennifer. “All of the things I had at my fingertips for her birth and arrival did not come easy.”

Other expecting parents would say things like, “I wish I had that,” or “I wish I had known about that.”

Jennifer said that she wanted to fill in all of the “I wish” voids of parents and parents-to-be.

“We wanted to bring alternative and natural resources to the forefront, as an option for families” said Jennifer.

in March 2011. Jennifer Carey-Prescott is the owner as well as an active acupuncture physician.

The store also offers massage and herbal therapy, labor support and environmentally friendly products for both mother and child.

Hoisting two businesses within five years amidst some of the darkest economic times in American history was a risky move, they said.

The success has not come without sacrifice. Jennifer and Frank agree that they set out knowing full well the suffering that their relationship could potentially endure.

“We were very aware that our relationship was the number one thing that was going to be negatively effected,” Jennifer said.

They agreed that at the one-year anniversary of Thank You Mama would be an exhaling point. It was evident that in a year, Frank and Jennifer would go through many obstacles and they made a commitment to hold on through it all.

“It’s bigger than us, at the moment,” said Jennifer. “We employ a lot of people and we are very involved in the community.”

Balance is key for the success of the Prescott family life and business ventures while commitment keeps the romanticism of their married life in check. “We have incredible differences, but we are incredibly the same,” said Frank.

With that, Thank You Mama will celebrate its one-year anniversary in March while Number 9 Salon hits the four-year-mark in September.