LOOKS by Libbie’s 30th milestone in hair care near
Located at 620 N. Campbell Station Road, Suite 30 near Apple Cake Tea Room, Cunningham will observe her 30-year milestone Saturday, Aug. 5.
“I’m shocked,” the stylist/owner said. “It doesn’t seem like 30 years. It’s flown by.
“My mom and dad helped me start this shop,” she added. “All we wanted was, basically, a hairdresser to have a place to work because when I would work for other people, they got half of everything you made or more, and you were doing all the work.
“So, then you think, ‘How am I ever going to make anything?’ So when we opened this salon (Aug. 5, 1993), we knew how much the rent was monthly. We figured up how many booths we needed to pay the rent and to pay the overhead.
“That’s all we cared about. This salon is not a money-maker. It’s for the hairdressers.”
Cunningham said she doesn’t make money “unless I’m doing hair. I even bought new machines just recently so they can actually do colors faster. They make more money.”
Still, the stylists “pay me rent so it doesn’t matter how fast they go,” the owner said.
Known her for her compassion, Cunningham “does a lot a good deeds and has quite a following,” one customer said. “For instance, she goes to people’s homes to do their hair if they cannot get out — mostly elderly or ill people — and does not even charge them.
“She gives discounts to those who come to her shop who may not be able to fully afford her services,” the customer added.
Reluctant to talk about her help to others, Cunningham simply said, “Everyone has hard times.”
“She understands rough times,” client Terri Brandau said.
Looking five years down the road, “I can’t imagine doing hair,” Cunningham said.
She has seen changes in the past 30 years, much of that in stylists’ attitudes.
“Everything has changed,” Cunningham observed. “Team work is not practiced anymore. We used to go to different salons and be friendly.”
LOOKS by Libby & Co. is open Tuesday through Saturday by appointment. To book an appointment, call or text 865-924-9635, e-mail to looksbylibbieandco.@gmail.com or visit looksbylibbie@co.com
