Atarah Beauty Bar opens in Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – “Atarah means ‘crowned’ in Hebrew. I want women to feel crowned when they walk out of here.”
Ashley Dunn, 31 year old owner of Atarah Beauty Bar has a story that some of us might have trouble relating to but can respect. It’s one of triumph and perseverance.
Dunn told News 40 that she had unforuantely lost both her parents at 16 years old, and after that she fell into depression. She decided to attend ATA College in Lousiville, Kentucky where she felt she would go into the dental field. During her time at ATA, she would work as a dancer to help pay her way through.
Dunn realized after graduating that dentistry wasn’t really something she wanted to do and continued to struggle through life, having to live out of her car for some time. Eventually she would get pregnant in 2015, have her daughter in 2016 and spend time trying to work things out with her child’s father.
Dunn said unfortunately their differences couldn’t be reconciled, and she and her daughter would move to Alabama to be with family. After living in Alabama for almost a year, Dunn took a class on eyebrow extensions and found a real drive for it.
She would work as a lash tech in Alabama for around 2 years, then while moving her life to Bowling Green where her sister lived, would go back and forth between Kentucky and Alabama to make ends meet before permanently settling in the Bowling Green community.
In 2022, Dunn decided to leave the booth rental lifestyle and open her own business, specializing in lashes but also offering tanning, “permanent makeup” and waxing.
In her interview with News 40, Dunn referenced several times her Christian faith and how it has helped her persevere out of situations many might have sank into. “Thank God I don’t look like what I’ve been through because I have definitely been through it”.
Dunn said she feels her purpose in life is to help encourage and uplift those who feel downtrodden and the way she feels like she can do it best is with a luxury service.
