One has styled hair for the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders, including traveling to the Dominican Republic for a swimsuit calendar photo shoot. The other has worked behind the scenes at Kansas City Fashion Week, preparing models for the runway at Union Station. Now, after years of working in Overland Park, two Olathe women have returned home to open their own salon.
Patty Schober and Megan Edwards recently opened Beehive Salon KC at 120 S. Parker St., bringing their established hairstyling businesses together under one roof. The two previously worked at Solera Salon and Spa in Overland Park, where independent stylists operate their own businesses within a larger salon facility. Both had dreamed of eventually having a storefront of their own, and after searching throughout Johnson County, they found a former salon in Olathe that offered an opportunity to make that happen.
For Schober, an Olathe South High School graduate from the class of 1998, the move is something of a homecoming. She began her hairstyling career in Olathe before spending approximately two decades working in Overland Park. Edwards, who has more than 16 years of experience in the beauty industry, is also from Olathe. After working together for several years, the two decided it was time to have a space they could call their own.
Finding that space, however, wasn’t easy. The women looked at properties in Olathe and surrounding communities but repeatedly encountered locations that were too expensive, needed extensive renovations or already had competing salons nearby. Schober eventually came across a Facebook listing advertising what appeared to be an apartment on Parker Street. Something about the photographs caught her attention.
“I thought, well, that doesn’t look like an apartment. That looks like a storefront,” Schober recalled.
She contacted the property owner and learned that the hairstylist who had occupied the space for many years was preparing to retire. The building already had much of the plumbing, electrical equipment and other infrastructure needed for a salon, making it considerably more practical than starting from scratch.
The women moved forward with the location and began transforming the space. They installed new flooring, painted, updated the interior and added new signage. Schober said neighboring business owners who remembered the previous salon have been surprised by how different it looks.
The name Beehive Salon KC actually dates back to Schober’s years in Overland Park. While decorating her salon space, she found a bee stencil that she liked and began putting bees on the walls. The decorations eventually inspired the name, which also pays tribute to the towering beehive hairstyles popular during the 1950s and 1960s. She later worked with a Kansas City graphic designer to create a logo featuring a bee and a pair of scissors.
Although the new business is just getting established in Olathe, Schober and Edwards bring years of experience that extend well beyond ordinary salon appointments.
From 2019 through 2021, Schober was part of a team of hairstylists who worked with the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders. The opportunity came through a connection at Solera after the cheerleading organization began looking for a new group of stylists. Approximately 15 to 20 hairstylists participated, helping prepare the cheerleaders for games, auditions, promotional appearances and photo shoots.
Schober recalled arriving at Arrowhead Stadium hours before kickoff to help curl hair, make last-minute adjustments and prepare the cheerleaders before they took the field. The atmosphere behind the scenes was often just as energetic as the game itself, with music playing loudly while the women practiced routines and prepared for their performances.
One of the highlights came when Schober was invited to travel to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with several other hairstylists for a Chiefs cheerleaders calendar photo shoot. The assignment meant preparing hair in unfamiliar conditions, sometimes working outdoors in a tropical setting.
The experience gave her an opportunity to work in professional photography and promotional production while learning to handle the demands of preparing people for the camera. She continued working with the cheerleaders until the salon team’s arrangement ended in 2021, when she decided to devote more time to her hairstyling clients and growing side business.
Edwards had a similar opportunity in the fashion industry. While working at Solera, another stylist invited her to participate in Kansas City Fashion Week at Union Station. She helped prepare models’ hair for runway appearances, working alongside local designers, aspiring models and other beauty professionals.
For Edwards, the experience was an opportunity to see how hairstyling contributes to a fashion designer’s overall presentation. The work required coordinating hairstyles with clothing and makeup, sometimes under tight deadlines immediately before models walked onto the runway. Although she no longer participates because of family commitments and her growing salon business, she said it remains an experience she recommends to younger hairstylists looking to expand their skills.
Schober has also developed another business outside the salon. What started as a hobby making leather earrings eventually grew into a line of jewelry, clothing and accessories inspired partly by her connection with Kansas City sports fans.
For approximately 10 years, she has sold merchandise through Junque Drawer Boutique in downtown Olathe, developing a relationship with the store and its owners. Her products have included handmade earrings, sweatshirts and Chiefs-inspired accessories.
As the jewelry business expanded, Schober decided to give it an identity separate from the salon. She now markets her jewelry under the name Honey Honey, working with a designer and manufacturer in California who also has Kansas City connections.
The name continues the bee theme but carries an additional meaning. Schober said she donates a portion of the jewelry proceeds each month to Bee KC, a Kansas City nonprofit involved in beekeeping, education and supporting pollinators.
The jewelry business has also taken her to Chiefs-related fashion and shopping events, including the Style Lounge associated with Tavia Hunt, where women’s clothing and accessories have been featured.
Despite those experiences, both women say their favorite part of hairstyling has little to do with professional sports or fashion shows. It is the relationships they develop with customers, some of whom have been coming to them for years.
Schober described Beehive as a small, intimate salon where customers are encouraged to relax, have a cup of coffee and spend time with people they know. She said many longtime clients have become more like extended family members.
“We’re very close with our clientele,” Schober said. “It’s an extension almost of our family.”
Over the years, the stylists have shared major moments in their customers’ lives, from graduations and engagements to weddings, new babies and other milestones. Schober said those relationships sometimes extend into difficult moments as well, including helping prepare longtime clients’ hair for funerals.
Edwards said those personal connections are what keep her in the industry.
“Our clients are our family, and we poured our heart and soul into this place,” Edwards said.
Moving to Olathe has brought both excitement and some challenges. Edwards said many of her customers originally followed her from Olathe to Overland Park years ago and were thrilled when they learned she was coming back. Others continue making the drive from communities such as Brookside and Spring Hill.
Schoeber acknowledged that the move meant losing some established customers, particularly those who worked from home or preferred appointments closer to Overland Park. Saying goodbye to people whose hair she had styled for years was difficult, but she hopes to build new relationships in Olathe while continuing to serve clients who followed her to the new location.
The salon offers women’s and men’s haircuts, coloring, highlights, balayage, vivid colors, keratin treatments, Brazilian Blowouts, facial waxing and other services. Women’s haircuts are approximately $52, while men’s cuts range from about $32 to $35, depending on the stylist. Additional services are priced according to the work involved.
For now, Schober and Edwards are the only two stylists at Beehive Salon KC, although they hope the business eventually grows enough to accommodate additional professionals. Both emphasize that they want to keep the personal atmosphere that comes with operating a smaller salon.
Customers can schedule appointments online through the salon’s website, but the women also welcome phone calls, text messages and people who prefer to stop by in person. They said they understand that not everyone wants to use an online booking system, particularly older customers who have spent years making appointments directly with their hairstylists.
The women are already planning ways to introduce themselves to the neighborhood. They hope to participate in downtown Olathe events and are planning a holiday open house for Sunday, Dec. 6. The event is expected to include an opportunity to meet the stylists and a small shopping experience featuring local businesses, including a charm jewelry pop-up where visitors can create personalized necklaces and bracelets.
Schober said she has been encouraged by the number of nearby business owners and residents who have stopped in during the salon’s first days. After spending so many years working outside Olathe, she is enjoying getting acquainted with people in a community she has called home for much of her life.
The two women have signed a three-year lease and hope to remain in the location for many years. They are interested in eventually expanding, but their immediate goal is to establish themselves in the neighborhood, welcome new customers and enjoy having a place that belongs entirely to them.
Beehive Salon KC is located at 120 S. Parker St. in Olathe. Appointments can be scheduled through beehivekc.com, where customers can select either Schober or Edwards.
Something Different Media Group
