Jayson Lafever, an ’01 Port Huron graduate, became familiar with the Marion area over the years by venturing north to stay at the family property. He lived here for a bit in 2014, and since September he’s come to call Marion home.
While many people might recognize him from Shannanjac’s – he’d also worked there since the fall – his true career passion is styling hair.
With a creative mind and an artist’s touch, he’s found a natural fit right next door at Teasers. A graduate of Paul Mitchell in 2003, Jayson has spent much of the last 20 years cutting and styling hair.
And he plans to keep going.
But there’s more to Jayson than just doing hair. He enjoys being out in nature and creating things: gardening, making log epoxy tables, chicken egg aprons, and doing theatrical make-up, among other interests.
We caught up with Jayson recently where we learned about his story. We learned that Jayson Lafever is more than just another face in the crowd.
Marion Press: Where were you born and raised?
Jayson: I was born in Howell, Michigan, but I was raised in Port Huron, Michigan. That’s where I grew up. I really didn’t do much as a kid! I was an only child. I did a lot of art in school, and a lot of creative stuff, but I really didn’t do much!
MP: When did you get into doing hair?
Jayson: I got into that after high school. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and then my aunt – she does hair – she said, “You’re creative, have you ever thought about doing it?” And then my grandparents told me that they’d pay for school. I basically went, walked in and started [the classes] and that was it. I got licensed in 2003.
MP: What do you enjoy the most about it?
Jayson: I really enjoy doing colors; you can get more creative with that. With colors there are endless possibilities. And I enjoy the science behind it.
MP: So how long have you been in Marion?
Jayson: I’ve been here since September. I used to live here in 2014, and I lived with my dad. Then I moved to Grand Rapids, then back to Port Huron. My dad passed away, so I moved back up here for a little bit of closure, and to take care of some of his stuff. We’ve always had property in Marion, so we always came up here. And when my dad retired, he moved up here. And then we had a lot more family come up. I knew what I was moving into when I moved up here; it wasn’t like I was someone just blowing in the wind.
MP: What do you enjoy the most about being a part of the Marion community?
Jayson: I really like how you get to know everybody. You see people you recognize on the daily, and then you get to know them. You build a communication and a rapport with people when you see them on a regular basis – and that happens more up here. It’s not like you walk in somewhere and everyone looks at you; it’s more like you walk in and people are like, “Hey! How are you!?”
Even when giving out pizza, a lot of times I don’t even have to look at names when I’m giving out pizza – I see them, “Hey, here you go.”
And I’m getting to that point in my life where I’m enjoying the simple things. I like being out in nature.
MP: In your free time, what do you enjoy doing?
Jayson: I’m currently working on a lot of log art – trying to make tables out of hollow logs. You use epoxy, and make them into coffee tables or smaller tables. And I’ve been making egg aprons. When you go out to the chicken coop, you can put all your eggs into the individual egg pockets. My sister-in-law was like, “Can you make me an egg apron?” And I was thinking something for the kitchen. But then she explained it and it made sense. I’ve always had a thing for art. I’ve always had a creative eye, and I’ll change things or paint things.
If you’ve ever seen the paintings on the wall at the salon, I did those too. That’s what I like about doing hair – it’s creative.
MP: What’s the best advice you’ve been given?
Jayson: My mom told me that if you don’t understand something, there’s a reason you don’t understand it: Because you don’t want to be like that person. If you question “Why would someone do that?” you probably don’t want to know because you don’t think that way. If someone killed someone, you wouldn’t want to know why because you don’t want to think like that person. “How could someone do that?”
You just kind of go, “How can someone do that or think that way?” So instead of trying to understand it or wrap your head around it, you can’t, because you don’t think that way.
That helped me a lot, because I don’t have to sit there and dwell on thinking about why someone would do something.
MP: So are your plans to stay in Marion for the long run?
Jayson: As of right now, yes. I’m single, and I don’t have any plans of going anywhere right now. But you never know. Even if I went somewhere I’d still have stuff up here.
