Written by Jan McCullough
Fifty years! I can’t believe that I have been doing what I love for the past 50 years. It has never seemed like a job. It’s just a joy to go into one of my shops every day. If someone asks me what I love to do most, it would be to assist women and men in looking better and feeling younger. That has been our motto for the past 50 years. You are probably asking what it is that I do. Well, we find the wigs, hairpieces, or hair replacements that our clients need in order to look and feel like themselves again. Not only do we work with cancer patients, but we also work with anyone with a hair loss problem, such as alopecia, trichotillomania, or male-patterned baldness. Wigs can also be worn just for convenience and fun!
When I was 11, I asked my mom if she would stop doing my hair and let me do hers. She wore a twist and barrel curls, and it came naturally for me to do those kinds of hairstyles. A neighbor told me to go up to the wig shop and apply for a job. That is when my career really started. I didn’t even know that I would still be doing the same thing after retirement age.
I have raised six children and put my husband through business school by selling wigs and doing what I love. When you find what you love, you will never work again. There has always been time in my life for church, volunteer work for the American Cancer Society, and all family activities with children and grandchildren!
Wearing wigs in the ‘60s was a fad, and everyone had to have a lot of them in different colors, but they were hot and heavy. But that didn’t matter. We wore them anyway. I now own a chain of wig shops, called “Creative Wigs & Hair Replacement.” Nowadays, wigs are lightweight and cool, and we make sure that they fit well and are styled and cut to our customers’ desires. They look so natural that you wouldn’t even know that our clients are wearing wigs, extensions, or hair replacements. Every day is exciting, fun and—most of all—rewarding.
Our business really started to take off when my two eldest daughters, Lisa Walters and Wendi Barker, took over the management and daily running of Creative Wigs. It’s a family affair, as my sister Brooke is the assistant manager at the St. George store, and all of our team seems to feel like family. No matter what store you go into, you will feel like family, too. Life is good; life is great.
