Seventeen years ago, Dick Crew and Karen Hwangbo met in a beauty shop in Garden Groves, Calif. Today they own one in Maricopa.
Born continents apart — Crew in Minneapolis, Minn. and Hwangbo in Seoul, South Korea — the paths of the co-owners of HairFocus crossed serendipitously when Crew needed a haircut in 1994. A walk-in customer on his first visit to GiGi’s, Crew was seated in Hwangbo’s chair.
“Wow!” was Crew’s initial thought. “It was love at first sight for me,” he said, admitting it took him a while to convince her. “That was it; I was hooked.”
They eventually married in 2004 and moved to Maricopa for a change in lifestyle. “Orange County had too many people, was too fast paced,” Crew said. “I’m not crazy about the real hot weather, but we’re happy in Maricopa.”
Crew had retired from the auto parts business and Hwangbo was working at a salon in Chandler when, in 2006, they opened their own shop in the Maricopa Business Center on West Honeycutt Avenue.
HairFocus has three stylists, including Hwangbo, who has 23 years experience. The shop is open six days a week and offers beauty supply products in addition to all the styling services one would expect.
Crew credits HairFocus’s success on Karen’s experience, the “nice, relaxing atmosphere” and fair prices, proudly noting they have not raised prices since they opened five years ago. And as its tagline — Keeping the Focus on You — suggests, HairFocus is committed to ensuring a positive experience for its customers.
Their landlord, Kirk Shroyer, has also made great contributions to the company. Crew said Shroyer is always available for advice and proactively stepped up to provide financial support to his tenants when the economy sank.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Crew said. “Through the start-up phase and even today, he’s just been great. We’re tickled to death.”
Getting personal
Family:
Dick: 3 grown children, 6 grandchildren,
3 great-grandchildren
Karen: 1 son
Hometown:
Dick: Minneapolis, Minn.
Karen: Seoul, South Korea
Current residence: Rancho El Dorado
Pets: “Candy,” a westie highland terrier
DICK
Pet peeves: Salesmen, bad drivers
Car: 2005 Dodge Magnum 5.7L Hemi & rebuilt 1980 Jeep CJ5
First job: Bagging groceries
Best job: Warehouse manager with Chrysler
Greatest challenge: Satisfying the public
Dream dinner companions: Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne
Best advice received: “Be a good person and be honest; from my parents.”
Favorites:
Hairstyle: “The way Karen wears her hair.”
Hair product: American Crew (“The biggest word on the bottle is “CREW.”)
Food: Chicken
Beverage: Seagram’s & 7-Up
Actor: John Wayne
Musician: Johnny Cash, Elvis
Movie: Anything with John Wayne
Sport: Football, NASCAR
Team: Minnesota Vikings
Driver: Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Athlete: Jesse Owens
TV show: Korean dramas
TV channel: KBS (Korean Broadcasting System)
KAREN
Car: 2009 Hyundai Genesis (“Korean car, naturally,” says her husband)
First job: Helping father with his insurance company
Favorite job: Owner/Hair stylist
Greatest challenge: Getting citizenship (which she successfully did in 2002)
Best advice received: Stay healthy
Favorites:
Hairstyle: Short bob-style, layered
Hair product: Keratin
Food: Korean
Beverage: Water
Actor: Angelina Jolie
Sport: Soccer
City: Maricopa
TV channel: 10
