Dee Mesa: ‘We were like “we’re doing this ourselves”’

Midland Texas Female Barber | Youtube

Dee Mesa said that the biggest thing that held her and Heady back from opening their Barbershop was fear of failure.

“We were like ‘we’re doing this ourselves’,” said Mesa on a recent edition of the Best of Midland Podcast. “And we were like ‘we’re doing it for someone else, we need to do it for ourselves, cause we’re already doing it’”.

“We were scared,” said Mesa. “We were like ‘what if nobody comes, what if nobody follows us, we can’t pay off our lease,’ it was terrifying.”

Deatra (Dee) Mesa and Cheyenne Heady opened Off The Wall Barbershop early in 2023. Off The Wall gained attention as they became known for their sensory-friendly haircuts. As a walk-in based shop, they accept everyone for haircuts, but Cheyenne’s experience with her own autistic son, they have become well known for their skill in that area. 

Best of Midland Podcast is hosted by Ryan Shewchuk and Terra Avery. It is an extension of the broader Best of Midland program, which aims to support small, local businesses by showcasing them and the people behind them. Their website lists top business and upcoming  live events happening in the area.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.