Sun shines through the plate-glass window front, giving warmth to the space.
Curlers, combs, scissors, bibs, shampoo, conditioner and chairs sit dormant — for the moment.
The first customer of the day walks in right at 9 a.m. Cosmetologist Deavin Sedillo hugs the customer, smiles and tells her to go back and get ready.
Belinda Cochran-Wells, owner of Hair After salon, says, “I still love cutting hair, and the biggest reward is helping people be happy.”
Welcome to a day in the life of a cosmetologist.
Cochran-Wells says that the shop, located next to Crystal Creek sandwiches on South Milton Road, has been around since 1971. She purchased the business in 1991 and is now accredited with the Better Business Bureau.
There are four other cosmetologists who work the place with her — one full time, the other three part time. They have formal training in the care of hair, skin and nails.
Sedillo and Joleen Nez have been in the shop with Cochran-Wells for more than a decade. It’s the sign of a healthy shop where all the personalities “click.”
LIKE THERAPISTS
Cochran-Wells says that a good cosmetologist is like a therapist. A cosmetologist is a person who is often on the receiving end of other people’s problems, dreams, pains, desires and more. Laughter is a regular occurrence.
“We’re like a bartender, only better,” she says, laughing. “When they leave here, they want to look and feel better.”
Sedillo says that regular customers make the business, and their advertising by word of mouth is crucial. And, Cochran-Wells adds that it’s about building relationships, friendships, and sharing lives.
She points to the circular stands below each of the hair-cutting chairs.
“What’s said in that circle, stays in that circle,” she says. The longer you know the regular customers, the longer you go through their lives with them and care about what happens to them. The consensus among the women is that they love to hear the life stories.
“It’s just nice to make people happy,” Cochran-Wells says.
DAYS VARY
Nez says days vary. Sometimes it is busy; sometimes it is slow.
Cochran-Wells added that the economic downturn is the likely culprit. Before the economy took a turn, business was good during the week. Fridays and Saturdays are good days. Holidays, even during the downturn, are good and crazy.
“It’s feast or famine,” she says.
Nez says that she can get between 10 and 15 customers on busy days, but a lot of that depends on what they come in to get. Perms, hair coloring and hair straightening takes longer than a standard wash and cut.
Customers vary from babies to grandmas. Jobs range from “old-school” hairdos to the latest styles coming down the pike for men and women, Cochran-Wells says. All the cosmetologists periodically get training in the latest styles and techniques.
Some days, there’s little to do. The ladies can always stare out the window and watch life pass by on South Milton Road with the occasional traffic accident, or the lunch crowd making their way to the nearby eateries, or shoo away the street people who come in to beg for money.
“This is my love,” Cochran-Wells says.
When asked about the future and retirement, Cochran-Wells furrows her brow and shakes her head.
“What in the heck am I going to do at home?” she asks, then laughs. “This is where they’re going to plant me.”
Larry Hendricks can be reached at 556-2262 or lhendricks@azdailysun.com.
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