Let’s meet José Vega, owner and stylist of Vega Zest Salon…
Gerilyn: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Jose: I was fifteen years old, and my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told her hair clippers, so she bought me a pair of clippers. It was a little set that came with the sheers, the clippers, the cape, the comb, and all the attachments. I just picked them up and started cutting hair. I would cut my hair and my brother’s hair. People would actually ask me who cut my hair, and I would tell them that I did it. They didn’t believe me. I was like, “Come to my house, and I can show you,” and then I would cut their hair. It was a natural talent that I didn’t even know I had. As I started doing it I got better and better, so I decided I wanted to learn more about it. My dad’s military friends would ask me to cut their hair, and my mother’s friends would also ask me. I hadn’t even touched a woman’s hair by then, but I decided, “Okay, let me try it out.” It was like I had done it before. I said, “I want to learn more about this.” So, I decided to take cosmetology in highschool, and I took it for three years. I didn’t know what I wanted to do as I was finishing highschool, but I knew that I loved cutting hair. So, I decided that I was going to transfer all of those hours into a technical school, and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s been about 30 years now.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite restaurant in Evans, and what do you love there?
Jose: I would say the Pizza Joint in Evans because it’s family-oriented, and I don’t have to leave the kids behind. I can bring the kids, and it’s a family-friendly environment.
Gerilyn: How long have you lived or worked in Evans?
Jose: About 20 years, but I’ve been self-employed in my own business for 17 years.
Gerilyn: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in Evans? Who would you like to see nominated as a Face of Evans, Georgia.
Jose: Believe it or not, Gerilyn DeLaurentys.
Gerilyn: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?
Jose: I would say Germany. As a kid I grew up there, and it was one of the most memorable places that I’ve ever lived in. I actually miss it.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite movie, or what is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
Jose: Sixteen Candles. It was a funny movie, and it is one of the first movies I remember.
Gerilyn: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
Jose: Be true to yourself, and don’t let anyone hold you back from your dreams.
Gerilyn: What is something on your bucket list?
Jose: To retire one day and move out to the country because I love my peace. I’m an introvert, and I’m around people everyday. So, I like my alone time. That would be one of my favorite things to do on my bucket list.
Gerilyn: What is your favorite music or three bands you would like to see – dead or alive?
Jose: I like Contemporary Chrisitan Music. I like Salsa and Spanish Music. Merengue.
Gerilyn: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Evans?
Jose: That’s a funny question because when I first moved to this area Evans was wooded, so there wasn’t a whole lot of business in the area. When I think of Evans, I think of being out in the country. That’s what makes me nostalgic about Evans.
Gerilyn: Choosing anyone alive and a non-relative – with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? Where in Evans would you go?
Jose: I would say my old business partner, Debrah Scott. She’s pure in heart, and she would just give anything she has to anybody. She’s a very close and true friend. We would probably go to a place where we could sit. I don’t know exactly where, but I think we would go to a place where there’s a bunch of people. We could just sit back, talk, and people watch. It’s just hilarious… I remember when we used to go to hair shows, and it was so busy and so very crowded. It was fun to people watch.
Gerilyn: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
Jose: Closer to a plan for retirement. I have a distribution that I’m growing, and I would see that growing even more. I could have employees and actually be able to do more of the things that I enjoy doing. I enjoy playing this sport called pickleball, so I’d like more time to be able to do that. If I can grow my business and not work in it but work at it… let it work for itself.
Gerilyn: Even for friends or family, what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Jose: Most people don’t know that I’m an introvert because of the type of business that I’m in. I’m always around people, and I have a lot of energy. At the end of the day, all I want is to have peace and be alone. So, they would never know that I was actually an introvert versus an extrovert. My true person is an introvert.
Gerilyn: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home?”
Jose: Home is a place where I sleep and lay my head at night, where I’m surrounded by family, and a place where there’s a lot of love.
