EDITOR’S NOTE: Kayla Matthews, owner of Scher Exzellenz, is one of nearly 100 women that will be honored Sept. 23 by Main Street Manning. We will be featuring all women who completed a survey related to their businesses on manninglive.com throughout September, and will also feature a select few in The Manning Times each week.
Kayla Matthews grew up at the lake, but spent a few years as a child in Germany.
She began her cosmetology career at 17, while a student at Manning High School taking classes at the F.E. DuBose Career Center.
“They offered students the opportunity to learn a grade before graduating,” Matthews said. “After high school, I decided to get my basic courses done at Central Carolina before enrolling at Betty Stevens Cosmetology Institute, where I graduated in 2008.”
After school, she worked as a stylist part-time while attending more classes at Central Carolina toward her associate’s degree in natural resources management.
“I joke and say that I’m a hairstylist that knows a lot about dirt, a true walking contradiction,” Matthews said. She opened Scher Exzellenz Salon in April after hearing a “wonderful sermon” at Seacoast Church, she said.
“My mother, who has always been my biggest fan, helped me weigh the pros and cons, but ultimately gave me the extra push of confidence I needed to make my dream a reality,” Matthews said. “Growing up in Manning and in Germany, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by family that offered so much love, but a lot of cultural differences that helped shape me into the person I am today.”
Matthews’s mother’s own experience owning her own business shaped the young woman’s outlook.
“I’m very proud of Scher Exzellenz Salon because, as a studio salon, it offers a very private experience for my clients,” she said “It is like doing my friends’ hair every day!”
Matthews plans to grow into a larger salon eventually, but right now is focused on developing her “own personal style.”
“I look forward to making Manning gorgeous for years to come!” she said.
