Owner, Stylist

“Hairdressing was the furthest thing from my mind,” smiles Birchler. Originally from the East Bay, Birchler ran in a tough crowd of professional boxers and kick boxers. Yet every time he visited his girlfriend at work he was inspired by the dynamic energy and creativity in the salon. With her encouragement, Birchler applied to beauty college in Sacramento. “I didn’t tell anyone,” he says.

While waiting to be interviewed, he bumped into the wife of a trainer at his karate school. Sensing his embarrassment, she let him in on a secret; not only was her husband a hairdresser, his mother owned the school. “Here was this mean, 6’3’, 215 lb, aggressive tough guy,” he says. “To realize this black belt instructor I respected was also a hairdresser completely changed my perspective.”

Darin was hooked from the first snip. He found a creative release he had never experienced having come from an athletic background. After working in Sacramento for a year and a half he slid into an apprenticeship at the “rebel black sheep of salons,” Architects and Heroes, in San Francisco, where he remained for eight years. “The artists had more freedom there, it was a looser structure,” says Birchler. “And they were turning out architecturally beautiful work.”

In the mid 90s, Birchler loaded up a U-Haul and struck out for Los Angeles with nothing more than a dream and a wad of cash burning his pocket. He landed a job at a Beverly Hills salon and in less than a year, Los Angeles magazine named Birchler “L.A.’s Hot New Up-and-Comer.” After 10 months, Birchler left the “restrictive salon environment” in pursuit of freelance work on photo shoots, commercials and music videos. “I wasn’t feeling the unity I was used to in San Francisco,” says Birchler. “The kids in San Francisco were artists, they loved what they did and they fed off each other’s talent.”

He teamed with friend and colorist, Amanda in an artist’s loft with panoramic views from the 11th floor of the old Asahi building. Word-of-mouth swept the city and soon Birchler’s reputation for architecturally genius cuts earned him a fierce following running the gamut from actors and musicians to college students and housewives. Within five years he had outgrown the space and began searching for a new location to expand his vision.

It was important to Birchler to hire the right staff in order to create a unique family environment where the artists could thrive and the clients would feel welcome. He encourages his staff to get to know everyone’s clients, not just their own. “No one’s going to walk in and feel judged by the staff. Some salons buy into that, they want the cattiness,” he says. “That’s not going to happen here. That’s why 18 years later I still love what I do.”

Email : Darin@ChopChopSalon.com

Colorist

Marsha loves amplifying the natural beauty of her clients by giving them color that compliments their skin tone and brings out the best in their haircut. “Each client inspires me differently,” she says. “And I don’t use the same techniques on everyone.” She welcomes the opportunity to push the edge and keep clients “on their toes” with updated color. She’ll never turn out a “boring red.” And when clients ask for blonde, she’ll dive into her color palette and return with a variety of tones that work synergistically to create a perfectly luminous “beachy blonde,” custom-tailored for each individual.

Marsha enjoys cultivating genuine, meaningful relationships with her clients. “I love building strong bonds and sharing experiences,” she says. The dual combination of loving what she does and being a great listener has gifted her with the ability to interpret her client’s vision and produce color that often comes out “even better than what my clients could visualize!”

Born and raised in Buffalo NY, Marsha always knew she wanted to be a hairdresser. She moved to California after high school and attended the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica. Following graduation in 2003, she began her apprenticeship at both the Academy and the Vidal Sassoon in Beverly Hills. She continued working with Sassoon in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Costa Mesa until 2009 when she left to live in Argentina for a year before joining Chop Chop in March 2010.

She was drawn to Chop Chop because of its free-spirited atmosphere where individualized expression is encouraged and fostered. With rotating art exhibits lining the walls, and a floor plan that changes with each exhibit, Marsha says, “There’s always something different, something new going on here. It’s very inspiring.”


Email : Marsha@ChopChopSalon.com

Colorist

Chelsea’s personal approach to hair has always been about change. “All I want to do is grow it out, chop it off, and grow it out again,” she says. While she loves encouraging clients to take risks that reward them with a renewed sense of identity, she’s equally adept at creating exceptionally natural looking color for clients who prefer a traditional approach. “I was really good at chemistry and science in school,” she says. “I love that I get to come up with the perfect color blend and express my artistic side at the same time.”

Her passion for hair may have started before she was a twinkle in her parents’ eyes. With two family members owning hair salons in her native Florida, the cosmetology gene seems to run in her blood. Even at the age of 15 when her family relocated to Los Angeles so her sister could pursue an acting career Chelsea claims her sights were set on hair. “All I wanted was to get to cosmetology school,” she says.

She did just that in 2005 when she enrolled in Moro Beauty College. While Chelsea was studying both color and cutting she landed a job as a receptionist at a local hair salon where she met her first mentor, Beth Oropeza. A 30 year hair veteran, Oropeza took Chelsea under her wing as her personal assistant. “She was just the best!” she says. “She knew everything, had seen everything, and was like a second mom to me.” Oropeza introduced Chelsea to “everything Vidal Sassoon” including taking her to first hair show. “It was art on a head,” she says. “That was it for me.” Inspired, Chelsea landed an apprenticeship at Vidal Sassoon in Beverly Hills from 2007 – 2009. She then transferred to Sassoon in Seattle where she worked as a colorist until she returned to Los Angeles several months later. In the end she feels Sassoon was a little “too corporate” for her, preferring instead the creative freedom she finds at Chop Chop. “When I first walked into Chop Chop, I felt like I was home.” Chelsea joined the team in June 2010.

Email : Chelsea@ChopChopSalon.com

Colorist

Kelley Dean began concocting his own color blends at the age of 15. As a “punk rock kid” he was the go-to friend whenever you had a hankering for “rainbow bright” tresses. Creative and resourceful, Kelley says, “When we ran out of Manic Panic I started bleaching hair and then toning it with Kool-Aid - it worked!” He admits those days were more about standing out as an “individual” than they were about beauty. But he developed a love for working with hair because he recognized it had the power to “make people feel really great about themselves.”

Kelley left his native Oregon at 19 to attend the International Air Academy in Vancouver Washington. He worked in corporate travel for seven years before becoming a travel coordinator for Twentieth Century Fox in 1997. However, following the events of 9/11, Kelley was among the many who fell victim to layoffs. After helping a friend realize their dream of opening a restaurant in Venice, California, Kelley decided to manifest his own childhood dream and returned to his first love, hair.

He graduated from Miss Marty’s in San Francisco in 2006. As a former client of Architects and Heroes, the salon where Darin Birchler earned his chops, Kelley was inspired by their creative energy and began a hunt to find something similar in Los Angeles. He found his answer in Chop Chop and joined the team in 2007. “Everyone does amazing work here,” says Kelley. “And I love the clientele, very down to earth.”

These days Kelley is known for creating “gorgeous, low-maintenance hair.” Aside from turning out beautiful work, clients love him for his warm charm and genuine interest in others. He loves connecting through personal experiences. “The more I connect with my clients,” says Kelley, “The more I can help them express who they are through their hair. I think that’s super cool and rewarding.”

Email : Kelley@ChopChopSalon.com

Helen Kim understands her client’s busy schedules and has perfected the art of the low-maintenance cut. She works with the hair’s natural texture to bring out her client’s best attributes. “Most of my clients can’t spend a lot of time blowing their hair out,” she says. “I’m the same way, so I love creating soft, feminine cuts that look don’t require a lot of upkeep.”

Kim graduated from Vidal Sassoon Academy in 1995 and began working in Beverly Hills where she built up a solid reputation and a strong following. Eight years later she left the Beverly Hills in favor of the more down-to-earth atmosphere of Chop Chop. “The energy here is great,” says Kim. “Even my clients are happier here.”

She gleans Inspiration from the runways and magazines. “Even from going out,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll see a cut on someone and think that would be perfect for one of my clients.” She’ll often encourage her clients to try something new but says, “I won’t suggest a change just to be funky. It’s gotta be glamorous.”

Email : Helen@ChopChopSalon.com

“I love cutting hair. Every day presents a new opportunity and fresh canvas to work on,” says Amy. “It never gets boring. ” At the age of 19 Amy was inspired to move to Los Angeles from the San Francisco Bay area after her employer, a seasoned owner of a hair salon, told her that if he had to do it all over again, he would have studied at Vidal Sassoon. With his encouragement Amy enrolled in the Vidal Sassoon Academy in Los Angeles in 2005 and apprenticed with them for a year following graduation. In January 2008, Amy joined the team at Chop Chop.

Inspired by vintage fashion, photography, and the pioneer of modernist hairstyling himself, Vidal Sassoon, Amy loves turning out classic looks that sport a modern edge. Amy believes the consultation is the cornerstone of creating a great cut. “I’m a great listener,” says Amy. “I take into account my clients lifestyle, comfort level, and aspirations before making any suggestions.” An advocate of staying true to your hair’s texture and limitations, as well as maintaining a realistic styling routine, Amy takes initiative to guide her clients to try flattering new styles they might not ordinarily consider.

“Your hair’s connected to the way you feel about yourself,” says Amy. “Nothing’s better than when my clients leave feeling happy and excited about the way they look.”

Email : Amy@ChopChopSalon.com

Stylist

Lindsey won’t send you home with a cut you’re not going to be able to manage in your own bathroom. “It’s about lifestyle,” she says. “Not about how many rollers it takes to reproduce the look.” Being able to barber with just scissors and a comb is an art form not every stylist has attained. But her training at the original Vidal Sassoon Academy in London armed her with the skills and confidence to masterfully execute beautiful precision cuts with just two simple tools.

Lindsey looks for inspiration in the clean lines of architecture, fashion, and art. She scours the pages of magazines, soaking up the innovation and creativity behind the hairstyles designers pair with their collections. Another “major source of inspiration” for Lindsey is her husband, a hard-working, hard-playing 29-year-old pediatrician who also drives a motorcycle and races BMX bikes. “I love his dynamic. He’s well-balanced.”

As an avid “people watcher,” she has a deep appreciation for diversity and avoids being pigeonholed as a stylist. “I’m not just about creating one kind of look,” she says. “I work with all kinds of hair from the soccer mom to the punk rocker. I can come up with something that will suit every individual.”

After moving to Los Angeles in 2008 she continued working for Vidal Sassoon in Beverly Hills. A year and a half later she got married and began craving more freedom and flexibility. Chop Chop offered Lindsey the atmosphere and high standard of work she was looking for. She joined the team in March 2010. “This is a business of instant gratification,” she says. It’s a fast process to make someone feel great about themselves and that’s really rewarding.”

Email : Lindsey@ChopChopSalon.com