By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson | The Birmingham Times
While many will observe Valentine’s Day on February 14, one Birmingham salon owner plans to bring together nearly two dozen female friends and clients to remind them of how special they are, regardless of their relationship status, for Galentine’s Day—a celebration of love that women share among all the women in their lives.
Natural hair stylist Sheena Moore, 45, owner of The Loc Oasis, will host the event on Saturday, February 10, at her newly opened salon in Adamsville, Alabama.
The goal for Moore’s first Galentine’s Day Party “is to remind women to always remember to treat themselves well,” she said. “Never expect anyone to love on you more than you love on yourself.”
Galentine’s Day is gaining popularity. The “unofficial holiday” is typically recognized on February 13, though events can be hosted anytime between February 1 and 14, with traditional Valentine’s Day on February 14.
The origins of this girls-only celebration are attributed to actress Amy Poehler, whose character on the television series “Parks and Recreation” coined the term in a 2010 episode.
While romantic couples celebrate Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day stands complementary to the traditional day of love. No harm meant guys, but this celebration is created for women by women—exclusively.
Jaketta Harris, an esthetician in Moore’s shop, is also helping to plan the February 10 event, which is all about genuine connections, she said: “Galentine’s Day is about expressing love for self, and it also sets the tone for a firm foundation on sisterhood.”
Moore sees Galentine’s Day as an opportunity for women to love on themselves first.
“So many times, moms and wives completely put all their energy into everyone else,” she said. “We want to remind them to save some of that energy for themselves.”
In other words, Moore wants to encourage women to be a little more selfish in celebrating and honoring who they are.
New Beginnings
For Harris and Moore, both of whom have been married to their spouses for well over a decade, the attention has turned from self to how they can help other women in this season. And for both, this Galentine’s Day event represents the dawning of a new chapter.
Moore, a career hairstylist, “just recently moved into the new shop and held ribbon-cutting ceremonies January 11,” she said.
Formerly, she ran her business out of a rented suite, but now she owns her own building.
Harris, who rents a suite in Moore’s shop, said she is also “at the beginning of her success story.”
Harris, who recently left a 25-year career in the medical field in January, worked “as a medication technician distributing medicine to patients in a nursing home.” Now a solo esthetician, Harris is excited about celebrating Galentine’s Day at the salon and feels like the event represents somewhat of a “coming out” party for her, she said.
Moore and Harris expect 20 to 25 women to attend their first Galentine’s Day event.
No Limits on How to Celebrate
Galentine’s Day is an opportunity for women to show their female friends, moms, grandmoms, sisters, aunts, cousins—single, married, or otherwise—just how much they mean. And there are no limits on how to celebrate. Some mark the occasion with brunch, lunch, or dinner; some host sleepovers or get together for a day of pampering.
For Moore and Harris, there is no theme to their celebration, but there will be an atmosphere of fun, food, and festivities, with adult games, dancing, and shopping sprinkled throughout the evening. The duo said they were both thinking about ideas for bringing women together, and Galentine’s Day was the natural hook. The idea evolved for them to host the event at The Loc Oasis very naturally, plus, Harris had “attended a similar event one year before,” she said.
“A friend of mine did a Galentine’s Day event last year, and the setup was so nice,” Harris said. “It was just the girls and us serving each other. There are different types of intimacy that feed our soul, and that sisterhood was so special for all of us.”
Good Fellowship
That friend is Leann Barfield. Barfield plans to return the favor by attending attend Harris’ February 10 event at the Adamsville salon.
“I actually hosted the Galentine’s Day event on Valentine’s Day at my home for five of my friends, [including Harris], last year, in 2023, because my husband was deployed,” said Barfield. “We took pictures, ate dinner, and had some good fellowship among each other.”
A client and friend of Harris, Barfield, 38, who got married on Sept. 1, 2022, lives in Warrior, Alabama, with her husband and 12-year-old son. A former cosmetologist, Barfield is now a stay-at-home mom.
Barfield was one of the inspirations behind this year’s Galentine’s Day event at The Loc Oasis. Even more special for Barfield is the fact that not only will she be celebrating Galentine’s Day with her friend but she also will be celebrating her first Valentine’s Day with her husband, Ronnie, a master sergeant in the U.S. Army that just celebrated 31 years in the armed forces.
“He was deployed to Kuwait 20 days after we married in 2022, and he returned home in July 2023. So, 2024 will be special for us celebrating our first Valentine’s Day,” said Barfield.
For Moore, this year’s Galentine’s Day event is part of a much larger vision: “God encouraged me to reopen my salon this year so that I can offer events for the community and have a space for women to come, relax, and chill,” she said.
Tickets for The Lock Oasis Galentine’s Day Party can be purchased in advance at https://booksheena.as.me/Galentines or at the door on the day of the event. To book natural hair services with Sheena Moore, visit https://booksheena.as.me/schedule.php. To book esthetician services with Jaketta Harris, visit www.estheticelements.skin.
