Life sure is interesting in the way it sometimes unfolds. Sometimes we’re drawn like the moth to flame to the big city lights. Sometimes folks forget to do the ‘grit check’ before they assume it takes a fancy degree or a corporate corner office to signal your arrival. But Jessica Freels and her business partners Abby and Sonya are living proof that you can build something extraordinary—right where you started. And they have done just that, and then some.

All three women are proud graduates of Centralia High School, and together they co-own Hollywood Hair, a thriving salon brand with locations across Southern Illinois. What began as one small-town salon has evolved into a multimillion-dollar business with 70 employees, a national reputation, and a work ethic grounded in community.

Jessica graduated from CHS in 2002 and still lives in Centralia with her husband, Blake—also a CHS graduate, high school tennis coach, and second-generation educator at the school. Their lives are deeply intertwined with the district, the community, and the very building where they first started imagining what adulthood might look like.

“I wasn’t a sports kid or a band kid,” Jessica says with a laugh. “I was a kid who liked to be around people. I went to all the games, all the dances. I worked a lot during high school, and I wasn’t focused on school the way I probably should’ve been—but I found my way.”

She found it at Hollywood Hair, a salon originally founded by Sonya in 1994. Back then, Jessica was a student, just going in to get her hair done for dances. But something about the energy of the place stuck with her. She decided to attend cosmetology school, and by 2006, she was working there full time. Eleven years later, when the company expanded, Jessica and Abby became co-owners. Since then, they’ve opened additional locations in Shiloh, Maryville, and most recently, Edwardsville.

The leadership team leans on coaching and professional systems to keep the business strong. Each of the four partners takes responsibility for a specific functional area—marketing, HR, finance, operations, and education—with the support of a general manager and external consultants. It’s a sophisticated model, but it’s still rooted in something simple: trust, hustle, and heart.

“We’ve said from the beginning: you get out of it what you put into it,” Jessica says. “We’ve worked hard for this. None of it was handed to us.”

Their story is more than just a case study in small business success. It’s a reframing of what it means to succeed—especially for young people in rural communities. Jessica often tells aspiring stylists, “You won’t be a Jess or an Abby overnight.” Building a clientele, a reputation, and a team takes time, consistency, and a relentless focus on serving others. “People will pay for the experience, for the connection,” she explains. “If you make someone feel good about themselves, they’ll keep coming back—no matter what your skill level is.”

That philosophy has fueled Hollywood Hair’s growth, especially in its pivot toward hair restoration and enhancement. The rise in hair loss due to medical treatments, hormonal changes, or popular medications has created new opportunities to help clients feel whole again. “We’re doing a lot with extensions, toppers, wigs—whatever helps someone feel confident,” Jessica says. “Hair is deeply emotional. It’s tied to identity.”

She sees it clearly now: stylists are present for nearly every major moment in a person’s life—weddings, interviews, funerals, first dates, breakups, births. “We’re there through it all,” she says. “And sometimes, we’re the only people someone opens up to.”

Jessica and her partners know how rare it is for three women from the same small-town high school to build something like this—and they don’t take it for granted. They’ve received national recognition, awards, and accolades in the salon industry, but they still see Centralia as their foundation.

“Centralia has always been our bread and butter,” Jessica says. “It’s where we started. It’s where we live. It’s where we’re rooted.”

Their message to young people is clear: You don’t have to leave to succeed. You don’t have to follow a conventional path. You just have to be willing to work hard, serve others, and keep growing—even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

Because in the end, it’s not just about styling hair—it’s about building confidence, creating opportunity, and proving that hometown girls from Centralia can make a national mark, one cut, color, and conversation at a time.