I have a strict policy that

Gladys Baker styles Dot Brown's hair at Curls and Swirls. Brown has been a customer for 35 years.

 

 

 

nobody cries alone in my

 

presence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—Dolly Parton as

Truvy in Steel Magnolias

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes from the movie Steel Magnolias ran through my head as I walked into Gladys Baker's Curls and Swirls Beauty Shop.

Gladys greeted me with a smile and an offer of a cup of coffee. I settled onto a bench to watch the world pass through the little shop on Leesburg Road. For those few hours I was back in time when life was slower and people cared about each other.

Gladys Baker and her husband returned to Columbia after he retired from the Air Force in September 1970. She purchased Five Points Beauticians in February 1973 and operated that shop until September 1979 when she sold it and bought Curls and Swirls, 1636 Leesburg Road. She has been there ever since.

 

Debbie Gray, Gladys Baker, and Joan Kinard of Curls and Swirls

Two other stylists work with Gladys: Joan Kinard and Debbie Gray. Both ladies have been with Gladys since the late 1970s.

 

Curls and Swirls is more than a beauty shop; it's a place where folks come to have their hair done, hear the latest news, solve the world's problems, and visit with friends and family. As one of the patrons, Marge White, put it, "We're a family here; we care for each other, and if someone's not here, we want to know what's wrong, and what we can do to help."

Gladys, Joan, and Debbie are friends to each of their patrons. They greet their ladies with coffee, sometimes a bag of candy, and a hug. Gladys is known for her head scrubs as well as doing minor surgery, such as accidental mole removal, on occasion. Gladys says, "The secret to a good hairstyle is a good shampoo."

The resident mascot, C.W. Wolf, greets each lady, pours coffee, escorts ladies to and from their cars, runs errands, and picks up lunch.

C.W Wolf, the resident mascot of Curls and Swrils, shares a laugh with Peggy Brown.

As each lady arrived for her appointment, I was introduced, and I felt like one of the family.

 

Kitty Jennings was a bit shy about having her picture taken with her hair in rollers. She kept putting her hands in front of her face. Peggy Brown couldn't believe her picture was snapped with her head upside down, combing out tangles. A lot of laughter filled the morning.

Dot Brown says, "This is a good beauty shop; they serve you coffee and candy."

Dot Johnson has been coming to Curls and Swirls for 35 years. She's been having trouble with her knees and has to use a walker for now. Gladys gave her a welcoming hug, helped her off with her coat, slipped her a baggie of her favorite candy, and seated her in a comfortable chair. After complimenting another guest on a purple outfit she was wearing, Dot said, "When I am an old lady, I shall wear purple."

One lady, who had moved from Florida a couple of years ago, said she had tried several salons in the area and in most of them, nobody ever talked to her. The first time she stepped into Curls and Swirls, she was greeted with "Hey, how are you" and felt welcome. She says she knew then she had found a home.

Gladys Baker styles Dot Johnson's hair.

Joan says ones of her customers always replies the same way when asked how she's feeling, "Well, I'm still above the dirt."

 

Helen came in after not having her hair done for two weeks due to foot surgery. Gladys hurried and found a bucket and a cushion for Helen to prop her foot on, then gave her an extra good scrub before styling her hair.

Stories of children and grandchildren, church and ailments, love and travel filled the salon. One lady told a funny story about her husband, prefacing it with, "I'll tell you this, but you can't write about it."

Gladys says she has had the "cream of the crop" through the years and when they pass on, she and the other stylists follow them to the funeral home for the final hairstyle.

Families have grown up at Curls and Swirls, children and now grandchildren of patrons come in regularly. Gladys cuts a local pastor's hair, saying she doesn't charge him; instead she's putting down payments on the time when he'll preach at her funeral.

Debbie Gray styles Joan's hair.

Curls and Swirls carries produce for the local farmers to sell in the summer. They help sell pecans for the American Legion at Christmas, help the local Ruritan clubs with their fundraisers, sell items for local craftspeople, and carry cookbooks from all the local churches. A neighborhood woman bakes delicious cakes, and Curls and Swirls serves as "drop off and pick up" point for these confections.

 

Gladys takes Monday and Tuesday off each week and drives clients to doctor's appointments and other errands. As she laughingly puts it, "On my days off, I do my charity work."

Laughter and chatter fill the shop from early in the morning till late evening. No subject seems to be off limits, from politics, religion, economics, crime, law, and world issues, to medicine, gardening, travel, love, sex, and marriage.

Slowing down a bit and watching the world go by with Columbia's own Steel Magnolias at Curls and Swirls Beauty Shop was just what the doctor ordered for me.

Gladys Baker says the secret to a good hair style is a good scrub. Joan Kinard (r) does the same. Gladys Baker assists Marge White with her coat. (left) Customers relax and read under the dryers.