"My life began in Athens, Greece, where I lived for 10 years before immigrating to the land of opportunity..."
Meet Olympia Hantzopoulos, The founder of Miracles.
Every journey begins with a single step. Here is my journey to become the founder of Miracles Salon.. My first step was at once invigorating and handicapped by apprehension. But now with a million footprints behind me, I can stand within the soles of my present and take solace in my achievement. For me, nothing can describe the feeling of beating the odds. It’s an empowering moment when you realize you have the power to change your condition.
As I settled into a life of comfort and looked around at all the amazing things that money can offer, I realized something. I discovered that some of the most beautiful jewelry I had ever seen was created by women who were altogether forgotten. They were the poorest of the poor, in countries that had no way of taking advantage of their immense talent. On that day a spark was born. The fire that followed fueled a burning passion in me to empower those women who were lost to poverty.
I began displaying at our salon, a handful of jewelry from women’s cooperatives in Morocco, Haiti, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and India; mostly to introduce women to items they had never seen before and to add a little spice to my once bare walls. Before the first day was out, all of the jewelry I had brought was sold. With an introspective pause, I realized the depth of demand from just my little corner salon. A worldwide stage to display these items was to me, an obvious evolution. And so Miraclesinthecity.com was born.
My life began in Athens, Greece, where I lived for 10 years before immigrating to the land of opportunity. I lived in Chicago with my mother, and after four years, moved to Washington, D.C. At the age of 16 I attended Emerson Preparatory College in Dupont Circle and was accepted to the American College of Switzerland. However, my heart dictated that love was more important than college, so I was wed and had two lovely daughters, Maria and Voula.
The goal of Miraclesinthecity.com is to share with our guests new ways to introduce healthier choices into their everyday lives...
Shortly before Maria was born, I began a career in the hair industry in the summer of ”82. My training started at La Biosthetique in Paris, France. There, I studied hair and skin conditions and disorders under polarized light. I received my aesthetician certification in 1989. In 1994, I opened Miracles salon, my third salon, in Arlington, Virginia. I became a certified Cosmetology Instructor, creating Miracles Hair Academy in 1996. At the same time, I owned an Aveda Concept Salon in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. During my ownership at Miracles Salon, I continued my studies in beauty and health. I attended the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy in London, United Kingdom in 1998.
In 1999, my son Elias was born. From 2000 onward, I worked many late nights trying to put together the concept behind this website. I am a perfectionist and if it’s not 100% ready, then it’s not ready. So after almost 8 years, it had taken center stage in my life and I decided it was time for its curtain call.
It is my greatest desire in life to empower everyone, especially women, to make responsible, safe and smart decisions. Decisions that improve their quality of life and make them healthy. I also seek to find natural ways to treat a problem or health issue, rather than just treating the symptoms. It is my belief that beauty truly comes from within. It is essential that one takes the steps to nurture it from the inside out.
The goal of Miracles Salon is to share with our guests new ways to introduce healthier choices into their everyday lives. Helping them make informed decisions through community opinion and knowledge, all while simultaneously having fun.
As a first step to our goals for a healthy lifestyle, we are in the process of converting our salon into an eco-friendly environment that meets the green criteria. You can shop all of our products that we use in the salon, and are all sulfate and paraben free!
Thank you in advance, from my family to yours… all the best and bless you!
Olympia M.A
Please follow us on Instagram and check out some of our featured work!