Shawn McGhee

Owner / Stylist - Laurelwood (East)

When did you start working at Pavo:
Pavo opened in 2000, and I was naturally the first of two employees, including my business partner, Scot. I have loved my job since day one and feel like it was just yesterday that we were opening our doors for the first time.

My previous jobs:
Before becoming a hairstylist, I did a little of everything. I was a grocery bagger, a music store manager, and worked a super boring office job. These paid the bills, but Pavo has been my life and my passion for the past 20+ years.

My hometown and places I have lived:
I’m a mountain boy. I grew up in a small town, Jacksboro, in East Tennessee. After high school, I decided to venture out of my hometown and move to the Bay Area in California. You can imagine the culture shock!

I decided to become a stylist because:
I feel like I didn’t choose this industry. It chose me. I had always planned to be an artist, but Pavo is my creative outlet. I get to create art every day that helps people look and feel great.

Who is your dream client and why:
Any hairstyle is a collaboration between the stylist and the client. My dream client gives me both a sense of who they are and is a great collaborator with me as we enhance or reimagine their look.

My professional goal is:
To build a generation of passionate, accomplished, and brilliant stylists. We have so much existing and burgeoning talent at Pavo that is truly the next wave of top-tier Memphis talent.

What I want every client to know about me:
I am a lifelong learner, and I’m naturally inquisitive and love getting to know people on a personal level. Each client has taught me something new, and I value the relationships that I’ve built over the last few decades with the people in my chair. I value relationship-building as much as I do styling hair.

If you aren’t at the salon, where else can you be found:
I’m a book nerd, so you can probably spot me wandering the aisles of Novel. I also tend to be a homebody, so you can often find me on my couch watching a really bad movie or a mindless reality show.