Corpus Christi Real Producers - May 2022

The Crown Jewel

>> preferred partner

By Ruth Gnirk • Photography By TresPiña Photography

Starla Harris Joslin, master stylist and owner of The Crown Jewel, is passionate about helping our community look better and become better. As a talented and outgoing second-generation hairstylist with 20 years of experience, Starla has worked hard to build a business that provides high-quality services to the Coastal Bend and provides growth opportunities for diligent and talented stylists and color specialists all while serving her own clients and family full-time. After overcoming her own addictions to substances and toxic people, she now invests her time and talent into sharing hope and helping others adjust their “crowns.”

Starla said she always admired her mother Sheila’s talents, especially with hair, and her resourcefulness, and looked up to her mom as a role model for hard work and femininity. Starla learned a lot from Sheila’s commitment to always believe in her children and her faithfulness as a wife for 49 years. Starla remembers her mom always had little side businesses to make extra money and gladly gave her time to those who were less fortunate. Sheila’s great knowledge of the Bible, and her spirituality, always had a big impact on Starla, who came to faith in Jesus Christ at age 6. Sheila’s constant prayers intervened when Starla was living as a prodigal child as a young adult.

After Starla renewed her childhood commitment to God, she enrolled in an accountability program. While she was learning to live a life of victory and freedom, a generous sponsor offered to pay for cosmetology training if she stayed clean. Starla recognized God’s grace working in her life, and she started working as hard for her recovery as she had worked for her addiction. She invested in herself and her future, and after graduation, she started her first job. A trainer who had worked with some well-known clients in Beverly Hills recognized Starla’s skill, passion, and heart and began mentoring her to become a customer-focused business owner.

When Starla moved to Corpus Christi, life was hard. She was grateful for government assistance and plasma donation, which helped her stay afloat while she built up a solid reputation and client base. She worked 11-hour days and took care of her growing boys, praying for God to bless her with opportunities to share hope and invest her time and herself into other young women who needed to change their lives.

Invest in your crown because it is 90% of your selfie that you never take off!

In 2011, Starla had a deep desire to create a safe and structured place for women who needed chemical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and relational recovery, like she had needed. Two years after hosting her first faith-based recovery meeting and after lots of fundraising, she helped Broken Chains Recovery Center open their first faith-based women’s recovery home in Corpus Christi.

In 2017, Starla went on her last first date. She had prayed for years that God would pair her with a godly husband and also gift her with a baby girl. She and Raul met at Cole Park in June and were married the next fall. They are thankful for their sons: Hayden, 19, loves to travel and enjoys art; Kamden, 16, plays soccer at Ray High School; Anakin, 16, has started his first job at Whataburger; Kaleb, 14, is a young entrepreneur; Xander, 8, plays football with the Corpus Christi Youth Football League. Two years ago, God answered Starla’s prayers prayer through a daughter they named Izabella.

Working hard to make her prayers and dreams a reality, Starla opened her own salon in March 2020. She provided a wonderful environment full of talented professionals and personally booked and served clients herself, full time. She willingly mentored the women, in life and business, and has seen them change their life paths and improve their cosmetology skills. Her growing customer base and expanded service options necessitated relocation to a space with triple the amount of square footage just 14 months later.

Starla has trained some excellent hair stylists and teamed up with other professionals. The Crown Jewel is a full-service salon providing an amazing variety of services such as haircuts, coloring including balayage, styling, Brazilian Blowouts, hair restoration for clients experiencing thinning or balding, extensions (using Hotheads exclusively), make-up artistry by an esthetician, a full wedding team (on location or at the salon), skincare, facials, waxing, needle-less lip fillers, biofeedback therapy. Starla encourages everyone to have a consultation before booking and to book in advance.

Starla’s story inspires hope; she has also helped countless women have a fresh start in life as well, through the women’s recovery home and

by offering both booth rental and mentorship at The Crown Jewel. In addition, Starla and members of the Jeep® Club rally together to feed families and host fundraisers for cancer patients. Starla also provides haircuts twice a month for those in need through a public service outreach of Church Unlimited, Westside, and serves as a sixth-grade girls’ life group leader every Sunday.

She is beyond grateful for all of the Corpus Christi Real Producers and Preferred Partners who helped her mom find, fund, and complete the purchase of a house closer to Starla and then helped Sheila get moved in! Sheila has been staying busy with sewing projects for Izabella, the reigning Miss Oysterfest. Spending time with Starla and her family has helped fill a void in Sheila’s life since becoming a widow.

Learning to take hair photos and incorporate new technology are two of the challenges that Starla is facing that are taking her out of her comfort zone and helping her grow. Raul’s recent birthday gift of a 360-degree photo booth adds some fun dimension to her ability to share the results of her satisfied customers and also offers a fun way for her clients to make memories. thecrownjewelcc.com

“The legacy I want to leave is: No matter what life has thrown at me, I did not let it keep me down. I rose above and turned all my scars into stars,” said Starla. “God changed me and made me whole, and I asked Him to let me help others learn a new way of life, and independence, one day at a time! I love to empower girls and women to love themselves and always speak positivity over themselves, never settling because they are a daughter of the Most High!”