Today we’d like to introduce you to Karin Sue Robertson.
Hi Karin Sue, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story began long before I opened the doors of Amazing Grace Salon. It began with loss, struggle, creativity, and ultimately the grace of God.
My father was an artistic man who grew gourds, carved them into beautiful pieces, and sold them in the 1970s. He passed away when I was only two years old, leaving my mom widowed at 26 and raising me on food stamps while working multiple jobs. We moved often, and I grew up learning resilience early.
As a child, I was always creating and always trying to earn a dollar. I sold worms and lemonade by the road, homemade press-on nails at school, crafts, candy, and anything else I could dream up. Deep down, I always knew I wanted my own business and I wanted to make people happy. My mom started her own business and took care of us the best she could.
Life took some hard turns and anger and pain led me down a destructive path filled with trouble, addiction, and searching for something to fill the emptiness inside me. But even in those years, God was still pursuing me. An art teacher helped me graduate by allowing me to spend most of my school day creating art, and despite being told I would never make any money doing hair, I attended The Aveda Institute.
I left my small town with 1 flashing stop sign and no fast food and headed to the big city- downtown Chicago. I had quite the experience of styling hair for designer’s runway shows and competitions, and our salon even worked on guests of the Oprah show. Her personal trainer and chef came in quite often as well as actors and other famous people. I loved my experience but after a couple of years I learned I was not a city girl and now enjoy spending time in the country on my hobby farm. I just learned that my old boss, the owner of that Chicago salon Pascal Por Elle, appeared on season 1 of the Golden Bachelor:) I gained incredible experience there, but something was missing and I longed for something deeper than success and city life. I then traveled and searched for the missing piece through thrill seeking, relationships and substances but I drifted farther from the answer.
Back home in Wisconsin, I became a wife and mother which I definitely thought would fill my heart but even with a family I felt empty. After my daughter was born, I found myself desperate for hope and truth so I joined a moms group at a local church simply wanting to understand what the Bible said and meant. I also wanted to be sure my family and I would go to heaven someday. There, I learned that salvation wasn’t something I had to find or do— it was already given to us from Jesus, I just needed faith to receive it.
When I believed this truth by faith I finally surrendered my life to God and everything changed. The emptiness I had spent years trying to numb was replaced with peace, joy, love, and purpose. It felt as if every unanswered question in my life had suddenly been illuminated and answered by His master key. Jesus had been with me through every heartbreak, mistake, and struggle, leading me toward Him all along.
Motherhood, depression and hardship still came, but God faithfully carried me through each season. During those years at home raising my children, creativity became part of my healing. I opened a small salon in my basement giving people my babies to hold while I did their hair. I started painting murals, designing and planting gardens, and painting furniture which I shipped all over the country in the cargo spaces of greyhound busses. My daughter and I started a business where we brought dress up trunks to little girl’s birthday parties and did hair, nails and make up for the guests. What began as a creative outlet slowly became a ministry called Sharing His Gift, an opportunity to love and encourage people through the gifts God has given us, Grace and Jesus.
Years later I had a snowboarding accident resulting in an injured back preventing me not only from walking but from lifting my hands up too high so I couldn’t paint, garden, do hair or be a great mom. Then came a divorce and soon after I was working in a local salon which shut down during covid. I realized I couldn’t rely on others to provide for my children and now grandchildren living with me- and I didn’t have a plan. While praying and searching for a place to work, I found a small room for rent in downtown Waukesha. The owner handed me an occupancy permit with a blank line labeled “Business Name.”
As I looked down, I saw the words “Amazing Grace” tattooed over the scars on my arm.
In that moment, I knew.
Amazing Grace Salon was born — not from my own plans, but from God’s redemption story over my life. A name written long before I ever stepped into that building.
Today, Amazing Grace Salon is more than a salon, it’s a light in a darkening world. It’s a place where people come to feel seen, loved, encouraged, and restored. What starts as an outward beauty appointment soon becomes an inward divine appointment as healing happens from within and beauty is the response.
Every person who walks through our doors matters deeply to Him. I simply get the privilege of serving them with the grace He first showed me.
God has also allowed the salon to become a place where young entrepreneurs can begin their own journeys. Watching talented women step out in faith, overcome fear, and build thriving businesses has been one of my greatest blessings.
And in His forgiveness and grace, God brought love into my life again. A man named Michael came into the salon for a haircut, and two weeks later he bought my wedding ring. Now we are preparing to move (my 29th and hopefully last until heaven) into our miracle home out in the country surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.
When people ask how I chose the name Amazing Grace Salon, it starts with Sharing His Gift.
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound who saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
To my Amazing Jesus, to YOU all glory, praise and honor.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting up was difficult as the distributor I bought my $5000 product line from said they “overlooked a proximity agreement” and were coming to get all my products 3 days before my grand opening. It’s difficult to open a salon without any hair color not to mention shampoo or hairspray. I had to consult my lawyer about that one which bought us some time to educate ourselves on ingredients and a whole new color language, eventually choosing our favorite brand Eufora.
Another would be exactly 1 year later on our anniversary. Amazing Grace Salon survived a national media firestorm after I was publicly misquoted in a major newspaper article. The story went viral worldwide almost overnight, and the backlash was overwhelming. My business received hundreds of fake one-star reviews which took us from an 5* salon to an 1* within hours. My website and booking systems were attacked, fake appointments were made to disrupt operations, and I had to shut down my social media and online presence just to stop the harassment. I received hundreds of threatening calls, texts, emails, and messages from people around the world. My home address and personal information were even shared online and at one point I genuinely feared for my family’s safety, and didn’t think my business could last.
But through all of it, my faith carried me. God gave me the strength to keep getting up every day, continue serving my clients and refuse to let bitterness or fear win. He even gave me the strength to forgive the people behind the lie and those who believed it and tried to take us down. The truth came forth and people of faith came from all over to support us and many are still frequent guests of Amazing Grace today. What was meant to tear my business down ultimately became a testimony of perseverance, grace, and God’s faithfulness.
Despite both of these attacks seeming insurmountable at first, they have both turned out to be huge blessings for the growth of our business and personal character. Today, I give God all the glory that we are stronger and continuing to grow! Thank you Jesus!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I do is so much more than hair — it’s creating a place where people feel loved and beautiful, inside and out. At Amazing Grace Salon, we specialize in natural-looking color, customized cuts, perms, wedding styles and healthy hair care. My clients often say I’m known for listening carefully, paying attention to detail and creating looks that feel effortless, natural, and personalized to them. Whether it’s restoring curls, creating dimensional blondes and reds, teaching styling techniques or helping someone to trust again after a bad salon experience, I never take for granted that trust people place in me on their first visit or their 100th. I truly love serving people through this work.
Clients describe Amazing Grace Salon as beautiful, peaceful, welcoming, uplifting, relaxing, and even healing. I give all glory to God for He is the source of all of those feelings. His grace is truly the reason for everything we do. We can serve because He first served us. My prayer has always been that people would walk through our doors and feel seen and loved by us but more importantly by Him.
Hospitality is a huge part of our salon experience. We offer a full beverage bar with homemade bakery made with farm-fresh ingredients from our own hobby farm. Guests enjoy heated neck wraps and towels infused with Eufora essential oils, relaxing scalp massages, warm conversation, and thoughtful details that make them feel pampered and at home with us. Many clients say it feels more like a retreat or gathering place than a typical salon.
What I’m most proud of is the way God has allowed us to love people beyond beauty services. We enjoy giving rides to guests without transportation, blessing them with gifts on Christmas and make sure no one spends holidays alone. During the summer we host an anniversary celebration at our hobby farm for all our guests and their families with food, live music from my husband’s band, bounce houses, a carousel and small petting zoo for the kids. Building community and creating a place where people feel treasured and a part of our family is just as important to us as beautiful hair.
What sets me apart is the combination of technical skill, hospitality, and genuine care for people. My clients mention feeling listened to, encouraged, pampered, and transformed when they leave. I’m so very humbled and grateful to Jesus for giving me another day to bless people so they can experience His love and Amazing Grace.
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://amazinggracesalon.wixsite.com/waukesha
- Instagram: @amazinggracesalonwi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downtownwaukeshasalon
