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Six local women reunite at local hair salon

Six local hair dressers – all who worked with each other years ago – have reunited at Transformations Salon.

Tamara Vowers, Christy Riley, Sondra Thies, Jana Tarrell, Shelly Peckham and Kathy Solberg all met working for Tarrell there.

Tarrell had bought the shop in 1985. One by one, the women flocked into the shop to form what they can now call a lasting friendship. In 1996, Vowers bought the salon from Tarrell.

As time passed, various opportunities and circumstances took the women in different directions. They all went on to either manage or open their own salons.

As fate would have it, years later the women now have all connected again to work together in Sidney.

"It's just been kind of a huge circle," Vowers said. "Throughout the years we've kept in touch, we've all remained on very good terms. We all worked together 20-plus years ago, branched out and started our own businesses. We became successful with those businesses, yet found it best to come back."

The six women have an astonishing 181 years of combined experience. Between the six of them, there's no hairstyle they haven't seen.

"People don't realize how much work we put in as hairdressers," Tarrell said. "When your a hairdresser, you're not only a hairdresser but you're a friend, you're a confidant, you're a psychiatrist, you're a therapist and you're best friends. You're all those things and not just a hairdresser."

The women's experience is a major plus for customers looking for professional level hairstylist.

All of these women started doing hair when they were very young and have perfected their craft through the years.

"I want people to know now that you can come in here and it won't be scary because none of us are just getting out of beauty school," Vowers said.

Tamara Vowers

Vowers attended beauty school from 1989 to 1991. Her first job was with Jolene Deer, who owned the Ahead of Time salon. She then was talked into working for Tarrell by Christy Riley.

Vowers and Riley became very good friends and ended up working together at Riley's own shop. She ended up buying Transformations Salon from Tarrell, who was moving out of town at the time. Marriage and family initially brought Vowers back to Sidney. Her grandparents, to whom she was very close to, were here and she wanted to be near them.

"We are experienced and we know our stuff," Vowers said. "Our combined knowledge and experience is awesome. We also know how to treat our customers, they're golden to us."

"This town has great community support and involvement plus a lot of people who want to look great."

Christy Riley

Riley started beauty school when she was in high school. She was a licensed beautician right before her 18th birthday. She then worked in Las Vegas for several years. She was transferred to Cheyenne and came into contact with one of Tarrell's clients. She was informed that there was an opening at the shop. She worked for Tarrell for three years then opened her own salon in Chappell called The Uppercut.

She ran that shop for 20 years. She was overwhelmed with work and had to slow down for health reasons. She was convinced by the rest of the women to come back to Sidney for a fresh start. She also met her husband in Chappell.

"We each have our own specialty," Riley said. "We can do any age range. A lot of us have extra education. We can work with small children to 90-year-old women and we have a lot of experience behind us.

"For as small of a town as this is they're very supportive," she said. "They're very friendly and they treat their stylist very well. They also like new things. I've worked in bigger cities and I've done more color here."

Sonda Thies

Thies has been cutting hair since she was a child. She started beauty school when she was 17. She did hair in Lincoln for seven years. She came back to Sidney for one summer and ended up staying. Overtime she got married and had kids. She opened up a salon in her backyard in order to work from home so she could accommodate her clients as well as her family.

"Customers can come to anybody and get a great haircut," Thies said. "They can get a great style and have fun in the process. It's just a great all around experience and atmosphere."

"In Sidney there's people who really want quality hair care," Thies said. "We are a full service salon and care a great deal about the quality of our work. We always want to do beautiful hair."

Jana Tarrell

Tarrell went to beauty school here in Sidney in 1981.

In 1983, she start working at the Barber Den. She worked there for a year and a half and then bought Transformations Salon. She sold the salon to Vowers in 1996 and moved to Texas. She moved back to Sidney after six years.

She eventually got married and had children. She began working for Vowers, and then went to work at Kathy Solberg's Salon and then The Cameo for eight years. Solberg sold her building to Cabela's three years ago. She and Tarrell went back to work with Vowers.

"We've all matured over the years and we have done everything from basic hair to fancy and detailed hair," Tarrell said. "We have a lot of experience and specialized training. We all get along and I think that makes the customers feel more welcome."

"We've been here a long time and have made a lot of clients," she said. "Those clients aren't just our clients, they're our friends. Also when someone new comes in, there's enough people now that there's a stylist for everybody. A lot of this business is not just what you can do but how you treat people as well."

Shelly Peckham

Peckham went to cosmetology school in Manhattan, Kan. She graduated in 1994 and went on to manage a shop in Lincoln, Neb.

When her husband finished dental school, the couple moved to Sidney. She took a brief break from hairdressing when she had children. Before her children, she worked at Vowers' old shop, and then after her break, she worked for Solberg at Cameo's. After Cameo's was sold, she came back to work with Vowers in her new salon.

"We have a lot of fun in here," Peckham said. "We all get along great because we're great friends. You can learn something from everybody. Customers can expect to have a good time and get great service."

"The town in itself is growing," said Peckham. "There's a lot of new businesses, a lot of people coming to town. I think because we're an established business on the main street and a lot of us are always busy doing things within the community, so people are familiar with us."

Kathy Solberg

Solberg has lived in Sidney all her life and has been doing hair for 46 years. She is an established hair guru who has salon ownership experience.

She owned the Cameo for 20 years. Nearly every stylist in the shop has worked for her.

"The opportunity came up and I decided that it would be a good time to sell and start over," said Solberg of selling the location to Cabela's for a parking lot. "The decision was hard and there were a lot of tears. It was a family-oriented place with kids coming in all the time."

After she sold, Solberg, Tarrell and Peckham joined their friends at Transformations Salon to complete the cycle.

"I'll tell you what my mom told me," Solberg said as she reminisced. "During the Great Depression, the only businesses that were open were bars and beauty shops. The men always went to the bar to feel better and the women always went to the salon to feel better.

"There will always be a spot for you to do hair and make women feel better."

 

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