Beauty shop celebrates 100 years with hairstyles through the decades
By Payton Busselman
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FAYETTE, Missouri (KOMU) — Peacock Beauty Shop in Fayette celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday.
Mickie Foland, the owner of Peacock Beauty, said the shop means community to her.
“I’ve seen kids grow up, go out, seen their own kids come in,” Foland said. “To me this isn’t a job: I love this.”
Foland said having people come in, sit in her chair and share stories is the best part.
“Storywise, there are so many of them to pick and choose,” Foland said. “But I can’t really nail one down because I’ve just enjoyed everyone I’ve done over the years, and we just have a good time.”
Throughout the beauty shop’s century, there have been previous owners, and Foland said the shop wouldn’t be here without them and what she learned from them.
“Being there when someone needs it — that’s basically what we’ve all been doing,” Foland said.
Foland also said the same about her employees. One of them, Janice Kay Harris, has been there for 58 years — over half the time the beauty shop has been open.
“I’ve done hair from French rolls to the Farrah Fawcett,” Harris said. “Pin curls were prominent when I was going to school and I apprenticed.”
Harris used to do haircuts on her aunt and mom and even practiced on her dolls.
“I used to take my dolls; I would cut their hair and give them permanents,” she said.
Harris would also bring dementia patients to the salon to do their hair and get them out of the house.
“I would bring them to the shop and do their hair and take them home, and I loved it,” Harris said. “They were just as sweet as they could be.”
Both Foland and Harris love their customers and being able to make them smile.
“I like the people, and I like the interaction with people,” Harris said. “And you find there’s other people who are worse off than you are, and you try to comfort them. It’s wonderful.”
“They come in, sit in my chair, and if they put a smile on their face before they leave, I know I’ve done what I’m supposed to do,” Foland said. “So, I’m a therapist at the same time, too. I’m a “hairapist,” as they put it.”
The theme of the celebration was rocking hairstyles from the 20th century. The hairstyles included iconic styles throughout the century, and some employees wore zombie makeup for Halloween.
“I like to do everything big,” Harris said.
Employees wore wigs or styled their hair, from the the 20’s boyish bob, the grown-out bob from the ’30s, the Bouffant from the ’50s, the beehive and afro from the ’60s, Farrah Fawcett from the ’70s, Madonna and Frank Sinatra’s style from the ’80s and Jennifer Anniston from the ’90s.
Both Foland and Harris hope that the shop gets to stay around for another century.
“I just hope I get to continue to do this until I can’t do this anymore,” Foland said.
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