Building The Roslyn with Katelyn Ellsworth

Every great salon tells a story, and for Katelyn Ellsworth, The Roslyn is the result of vision meeting conviction. What began as a dream of creating an intimate, inspiring space for like-minded stylists has evolved into one of San Diego’s standout destinations for creativity and connection. Situated in the heart of Little Italy, The Roslyn captures the city’s energy while reflecting Ellsworth’s belief that beauty should feel approachable, authentic, and endlessly evolving. In this second instalment of our four-part series, Katelyn shares how she built The Roslyn from the ground up, balancing business with artistry and transforming a vision into a thriving creative community.

The Roslyn has become a fixture in San Diego. What was the original vision you had when opening the doors?

I had a vision of working alongside like-minded stylists that are fun, friendly, and innovative. I wanted the space to feel fresh and inviting. I had been in large salons for many years prior and I wanted to try something smaller and more intimate. 

Running a salon is equal parts creativity and business. How do you manage to keep both sides in harmony?

I usually let my inspiration lead. If I get bored with some of the aesthetics of the salon, I immediately swap things out or update something small to feed that. Creativity comes first to me, then the business side, balancing it sometimes leads heavier to one than the other, depending on the season that I’m feeling.  

What was the biggest challenge you faced in the early days of building the salon and how did you overcome it?

I think some of the biggest challenges when starting up was actually not taking everything on myself. As an owner, you do feel responsible for your employees and coworkers. And it was hard to delegate at first, but overtime everybody finds their groove and where they can contribute. It feels like a well oil machine at this point.  

Your salon sits at the heart of Little Italy. How does the neighbourhood influence the energy and identity of The Roslyn?

The overall energy of the community is amazing. It’s very forward, thinking in a business sense, and has a lot of young entrepreneurs residing in it. So having lively people walk by every day, looking into our Florida ceiling windows is not only inspiring, but fun when a good portion of them are your clients.  The streaks are always busy and that’s part of what I love about working in an urban community that also admires creativity. 

With your background in business, do you approach decisions differently than a purely creative founder might?

Absolutely. I think the biggest thing is perspective when working with other people as well as working on clients regularly.  Making decisions from multiple perspectives feels like a well rounded way to approach business decisions in my eyes.

What do you believe makes a salon stand out in today’s crowded beauty industry?

I truly feel letting your work speak for itself as well as how happy or satisfied your client is works the best. People talk and I think it means more than just an Instagram post of you telling the world how good you are. Letting people tell the world how good you are speaks louder. It’s a personal experience and it runs in our salon as part of our culture.  

If a young stylist told you they dreamed of opening their own space, what honest advice would you share

?My advice to a young stylist would be to work in many different places to understand what you like and dislike. What works and doesn’t, again from multiple perspectives.  Also, knowing the size and scale of what you want to build, and always make it a little bit bigger. 

In Building The Roslyn, Katelyn Ellsworth opens up about the journey from concept to creation, offering an honest look at the challenges, inspiration, and evolution behind her San Diego salon. She reflects on the balance between creativity and business, the importance of delegation, and the unique energy that Little Italy brings to her daily work. Ellsworth’s approach is grounded in authenticity, community, and passion — a reminder that success in beauty is not built overnight, but through intention and trust. Her advice for aspiring salon owners is both practical and heartfelt: explore, learn, and dream a little bigger than you think you can.