06/19/2026
The Father of Studio 2 Hair Additions
When people talk about Studio 2, they usually see the building as it is now: private rooms, quiet hallways, people coming in scared and walking out a little taller. What they do not always see is where it started, and who built the foundation for all of this: Travis Johnson.
Travis did not start out owning a salon. He started as a kid in Johnson’s Barber Shop, cutting hair for twenty‑five cents a head. No fancy title, no backing, just a pair of clippers and a need to work. From there, he did not just “do hair,” he built with it.
In the early 1970s, Travis became an educator for a company called Image, one of the pioneers in hair replacement. He was out there teaching other professionals the craft, long before most people had language for “non‑surgical hair replacement.” While a lot of the industry was still thinking in terms of basic wigs, Travis was already thinking about solutions, fit, and dignity—and quietly preparing to build his own dream.
By 1978, you could find his name on flyers like “Image ’78: Reflections of Success,” where he was featured alongside other leaders in the field. Through the 1980s, as hair systems were growing—in size and in popularity—Travis and his team kept up with every trend and technique. He was not just following the wave; he was helping shape it, one class, one demonstration, and one client at a time.
He went on to partner with a company called Aspasie, where he was both an educator and an owner. That partnership turned into a factory in Haiti, producing hair systems and pieces for clients around the world. At one point, he even ran his own hair school Modern Hair Design here in Memphis, training stylists not just in cutting, but in thinking: about balance, shape, problem‑solving, and the responsibility of holding somebody’s self‑image in your hands. He was building people as much as he was building businesses.
He also owned and operated King’s Den in Memphis, Tennessee. That shop is the direct ancestor of what would become Studio 2. King’s Den gave him a home base, a place to put all that education, factory, and school experience into real, everyday clients who needed more than a standard haircut.
In 1986, Sharon Johnson joined the business, bringing fresh passion and purpose. Together, they pushed Studio 2 into a new era of innovation—expanding beyond a traditional barber shop into a place where men and, eventually, women dealing with medical hair loss could find real options. The work shifted from just cutting hair to truly changing what was possible for people who thought they were out of choices.
Travis is retired now. You will not see him in the day‑to‑day at Studio 2, and you will not catch him in every video or standing behind every chair, but you can feel him in the bones of the place. The reason Studio 2 exists in this building, doing this kind of work with hair replacement and hair additions, is because of what he started with King’s Den and what he spent a lifetime building.
When we call Travis Johnson “the Father of Studio 2,” it is not a cute nickname. It is a literal description of his role in this story: barber, educator, factory owner, school founder, salon owner. He took twenty‑five‑cent haircuts and turned them into a legacy.
And now our team and our clients get to enjoy the salon home he built. Every class we teach, every hair addition we customize, every person who finds non‑surgical hair replacement here instead of giving up on themselves—that is all possible because of the work he did first, for all of us
