Later this decade, my mom will celebrate her 50th anniversary as a hairstylist. During the 1970s, when this barber & hairstylist business card collection was assembled, my mom was busy cutting hair in a home-based shop that she set up in the unfinished laundry room of our house in Niles. Located in the basement--in the room that also housed the washer & dryer, furnace, and water heater--the shop wasn't a showy operation, but it had a legion of happy customers. My mom cut practically everyone's hair in the neighborhood.
These 1970s business cards are a lot of fun, and they brought back a flood of memories--some not so fond--of the parade of elderly ladies (bubbies) coming to have their hair done. Of course, I enjoyed a lifetime's worth of free haircuts; it wasn't until mom moved to Florida, that I had to find a barber.
To many of her laundry-room patrons, my mom was more than just a hair dresser. Like a wise bartender, she was counselor and confidant to many women (and men) who sat in her chair. Over the sweep of years, babies had their first hair cuts; boys received all-important Bar-Mitzvah trims; girls were styled for dances; and, women had their hair done for weddings.
Now, in her mid-60s, my mom is cutting hair only a few days a week, but she has no plans to stop. It's her life's work, and I couldn't be more proud of her.
Happy birthday, Mom.
Happy Birthday to your Mom
Posted by: Mimi | January 31, 2007 at 01:16 PM