When clients walk into The BEST Salon in Grimes, owner Kortney Kruger wants them to see faith in action. The name stands for: Bless (Acts 20:35), Encourage (1 Thessalonians 5:11), Serve (1 Peter 4:10), and Transform (2 Corinthians 5:17). “We want to love each and every person that walks in the doors of this business by blessing, encouraging, and serving them with the goal that many would be transformed by the love, power, and Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Kortney said. “Our continual desire and daily goal is that out of a love for God and knowing Him as our Lord and Savior, everything we do would be done with excellence so that He would receive all the glory.”
Kortney moved to Des Moines two years ago to work at The BEST Salon. Before that, she was traveling around the world with Youth with a Mission (YWAM). In 2012, she felt God calling her out of the hair industry and into a season with YWAM. “To say yes to that felt like such a step of faith, but, little did I know, it was just the beginning of trusting Him with the big and small things in my life,” Kortney said.
For the next two years she spent time in Hawaii and South Africa loving people and sharing the Gospel. Then in 2013, she went to a school of biblical studies in Taiwan. “God taught me the importance of community and how it increases sanctification. And a redeeming perspective on why He gave me the ability and love for hair and people,” Kortney said. “He is literally giving me a platform to share Jesus with every single person I interact with by loving them, speaking truth into their lives, and sharing my testimony.”
Kortney grew up in a Christian home but didn’t surrender her life fully to Christ until after her senior year of high school. “I had to believe that Jesus was worth everything,” Kortney said. “I finally understood Jesus’ forgiveness, and it made me want to follow Him."
While she was in Taiwan, Kortney connected with a woman from her hometown who had opened The BEST Salon in Grimes, and Kortney felt the Lord leading her to work there. She started working at the salon in January 2015. By March, she had sole ownership of the salon after her friend stepped back for family reasons.
“I’ve wanted to do hair since I was 3 years old,” Kortney said. “In the time with YWAM, I realized that I could actually glorify God by doing hair.”
"I realized that I could actually glorify God by doing hair.”
Two days after she moved to Des Moines, she was invited to a Downtown Community Group. “After I took over the salon I thought God would equip me to do everything on the business side,” Kortney said. “Instead, He answered my prayers by people in the church selflessly serving me and helping me where I am weak.”
God has answered many prayers through The BEST Salon as Kortney and her coworkers pray for their clients. “God has been bringing in people from all walks of life,” Kortney said. They’ve seen God restore families and change hearts.
“A little over a year ago, one of my clients told me her marriage of 12 years was on the verge of being done,” Kortney said. “I asked her if she believed that God could restore her marriage. She said yes. We prayed weekly for three months and God stopped the divorce. Other marriages are being affected by theirs. They are both walking with the Lord.”
Recently, Kortney went to Penang, Malaysia with three other stylists to serve missionaries from all over Southeast Asia at a retreat. They were able to perform 105 beauty services to bless the missionaries. “It was amazing hearing each of their stories,” Kortney said. “We also had a time of worship, teaching, and fellowship together and bonded quickly. "
The BEST Salon has a ministry called BEST Ministries. The mission is to be a compassion ministry that provides opportunities for the beauty industry to use their gifts and talents to serve others and demonstrate God’s love to people in need.
In the past year, they’ve had the opportunity to be a part of events that pamper people without cost. “BEST Ministries is also in the process of casting further vision for Pampering with a Purpose events in which individuals in need will be invited to be blessed with a pampering experience: professional hair, nail, and skin care services,” Kortney said. In addition, BEST Ministries is hoping to team up with other businesses in the community.
Kortney is excited to see the ways that God will use The BEST Salon, continuing to cling to Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might...”