Jo Dahl has been getting her hair done at the Little Mermaid Beauty Salon in Douglas since 1985. For the past 14 years, that’s meant weekly visits.
For decades, the salon has been a staple for people on and off the island to get their hair cut, curled or colored since it opened in 1963.
“I always got really good service and she knew how to handle my curly hair, which isn’t so curly anymore,” Dahl said.
But, on Saturday, Dahl was there for the last time. Following her appointment, the salon closed for good.
Surrounded by mermaid decor, including figurines and posters, Dahl sat in her chair wearing a black cape with slightly damp hair. Jo Paddock-Betts grabbed a few strands of it at a time to put into rollers.
Paddock-Betts has owned the salon for 41 years, taking over from the previous owner in 1983. Over the years, the location has bounced around a few times, but it never strayed from Douglas. Now, it’s attached to an auto body shop, across the street from the Methodist church.
“It’s a small enough community, and there’s plenty of parking,” she said. “Back in the days when I first had this salon, the auto body shop here was owned by a guy named Woodsy. And we used to advertise together — we’d do ‘Woodsy’s perm and lube.’ People would get their oil change while they were getting a perm.”
With only a handful of places to get your hair cut by a professional, Paddock-Betts said she’s had clients come from way out the road just for a trim.
But, after four decades, she said ready for something new. She’d been trying to retire for a few years now and was hoping to hand over the business to someone else. But, nobody was biting, and she just decided it was time to close its doors.
“I had to come to the point where it was okay for me to say ‘It’s okay. Douglas will be here when you’re gone,’” she said. “When an institution like this has been here since 1963, that’s 61 years of a business that has thrived.”
Paddock-Betts said it’s a bittersweet moment — she’s grown quite a number of friendships with her clients, like Dahl. She said that’s what she’ll miss the most, and she’s grateful to everyone who supported her.
“It’s been a challenge to let go of not only the love for Douglas and Juneau for all the people who come here, but for the community it’s a loss,” she said. “It’s a huge loss — but I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Paddock-Betts and her husband plan to stay in Douglas, but spend their retirement traveling.
Now that the business is closing, Dahl said she’s not quite sure where she’s going to go to get her hair done instead. But, she does have some ideas.
“Where am I gonna go to get my hair done? Her kitchen. She’s gonna do my hair for me,” she said, laughing.
