SECOND: Evelyn Dickerson Hair Design

Evelyn Dickerson Hair Design has been in Kent for 70 years, and its owner intends to keep it that way.

Carley Kruse has owned the salon for 20 years and has seen it through a multitude of changes. Right now, the salon is undergoing a move from S Water Street to 175 E. Erie St. in downtown Kent.

For Kruse, maintaining that connection to the Kent community is very important. 

“We had people calling and saying, ‘Oh, there’s a cute space in Streetsboro, and there’s one in Brimfield — we are a Kent salon,” she said  “We’ve been in Kent, and we are a Kent salon.”

Senior communications major Rachael Domino said she originally tried Evelyn Dickerson because of its reputation in Kent and on the recommendation of a friend. 

What really set them apart for her was the experience the stylists had.

“They’re not all fresh out of cosmetology school,” Domino said. “They have experience, which is really comforting.”

Although she has considered retiring in recent years, Kruse said her love for her salon, staff and clients have kept her coming back.

“I just spoke with a lady that was calling to make an appointment with one of the girls, and she was saying that our staff just go above and beyond and end up being like family,” Kruse said.

Kruse said she and her team are more than ready to get started again in their new location, which is set to open by the end of April, and servicing their customers again. 

“Our customers end up like family to the stylists. We hope that everybody who comes in the door has a great experience where they want to come back,” said Kruse. “So, that’s why we’re continuing, and we’re really excited to get in our new space downtown!”

Evelyn Dickerson Hair Design can be contacted at 330-678-0262.

THIRD: A Cut Above Nail and Hair Salon

Karen Shaw has owned A Cut Above Nail and Hair Salon for 41 years, and she has been working there for 48. 

A Kent native, Shaw began working at the salon, which was then called Tomorrow’s Cut and Curl, the Tuesday after she graduated cosmetology school. 

“I started working there at 18, and my boss said, ‘I’m moving, so if you want a job you’re going to have to buy this place,’” she said. “I’ve grown it from me and another couple people, to now eight of us doing nails and hair along with a massage therapist.”

The salon, located at 820 N. Mantua St. in Kent, has become a multi-generational staple, Shaw said. It offers men’s and women’s haircuts, colors, perms, manicures and pedicures and massages, so the spot is capable of covering a full family’s beauty needs.

“We’ve gone through kids, grandkids, all the important parts of people’s lives,” Shaw said. “They grow up. We do proms and homecomings, we do their marriages, their kid’s first haircut and then another generation comes through.”

Shaw said she still cuts the hair of a man who came in her first week there, nearly 50 years ago. 

Their dedication, experience and homey atmosphere inspire loyalty in their clients, she said — not to mention their commitment to making the salon a “happy place” for both customers and stylists.

Their experience hasn’t kept them from adapting to the times. Rather, operating a business over such a long time has encouraged change and an ability to adjust as needed, the owner said. 

Shaw added this positive attitude toward evolution extends to the very services they offer, as well. The stylists’ combined expertise enables them to do everything from artificial nails and hand-painted hair color to line art and wedding styles.

“I started when things were in phone books, and we just didn’t do things online — things have changed a lot with owning a business,” Shaw said. “You’ve got to change with the times and do what you need to do.”

A Cut Above Nail and Hair Salon can be contacted at 330-673-9222.

Virginia Doherty is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].