I got chased by a hairstylist in the parking lot — 8 of 31
Or “Fare thee well in San Antonio, Jo.”
I’m a patron of Ninja Writers and this is day eight of the May Medium Post-a-Day Challenge of blogging for 30 consecutive days.
I got my last haircut from my hairstylist yesterday.
I’m really particular about who cuts my hair. Even though my haircut has been roughly the same since my middle school years, save for sixth grade when I thought bowl cuts, saggy Mossimo jeans, and skater shirts were a good look.
It was, in fact, not a good look.
It actually has to do with the fact that I despise small talk. I find it to be a complete waste of energy. I’d rather say nothing at all than talk just to talk.
I got lucky when I lived out in Los Angeles. When I moved there in 2010, I first tried a salon at the Glendale Galleria and felt it was way overpriced for a “meh” cut. I got on Yelp and tried the first location listed near my old place in Highland Park. It worked out perfectly.
Super friendly, run by a family of five, great prices for a good hair cut. I loved chatting with them about family, what they were up to, new restaurants in Highland Park/Eagle Rock. It became a really nice routine over six years.
I even took a goodbye picture with the mother and daughter:
I moved back to NC in February 2016 and the next time I needed a haircut…ugh. I tried a few places. Once again, the first one was too expensive for a really basic haircut like mine. Plus, the conversation was pretty stiff. One of those “SPORTS HAIRCUTS GUY STUFF TVs YEAH BRO” places.
Not a fan, personally.
The next I tried were near my house and…amazingly, they couldn’t do my haircut (3 clipper on the sides, scissors on top relatively even).
UGH. I MISS LOS ANGELES.
August. My friend from LA is coming for a visit. The weekend before she got in, I went shopping to grab some guest towels/bathroom stuff from Target and saw there was a Fantastic Sam’s nearby. It was about an hour before they closed, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I walked in and both stylists were busy with a dude, a dad and his son waiting. The main stylist told me from the back she’d be right with me. I sat down and waited.
About fifteen minutes passed and it seemed like I wasn’t going to get seen in time. No hard feelings, though. I got up and walked out. About halfway to my car in the parking, I hear behind me:
“No, wait. I’ll cut your hair, I’m so sorry!”
The main stylist, Jo, ran after me and apologized profusely for not coming to the front to at least introduce herself. She told me she’d be willing to stay late to cut my hair if I didn’t mind coming back in an hour or so.
I was really impressed by this. She could have easily blown me off and I wouldn’t have really cared. But, she made the effort to follow-up and it made me feel like this was a person of her word.
I took her up on the offer and we instantly clicked. Every time I came in, I felt like I was talking to a second Mom. She gave me advice on working through a breakup, recipe ideas for Let’s Make Lunch, advice for taking care of a dog.
Never a dull moment (just a dull haircut).
Well, Jo is leaving Cary, NC since her husband got a really great job with USAA at their headquarters in San Antonio. I’ll miss her and our wonderful conversations. Luckily, I’ve gotten to know all the others at the location, so no need to go searching again.
I’ll end this with the Google Review I left for them back in August:
All the best in Texas, Jo!
