Gwen Ophus tending to Frannie Zapernuk.
Gwen has been a part of Big Sandy's down town business for 35 years. She married Shane Ophus in 1984 and started her business down town in the Odd Fellows Hall. It cost $50-$75 a month to rent the front part of that building, and that was for everything! She opened her current shop in 1986. Gwen had a lot of people try to discourage her from opening her own shop, but those who had shops in town already weren't interested in hiring anyone. She always knew that eventually she wanted to have her shop in her house. Gwen said, "It worked so good to be here with the kids So many of my clients raised my kids. They would burp my kids while I was rolling their hair, combing it out or whatever. Every one of my three sons Mason, Lane and Tyler just loved everybody who came in here. It was so amazing the extension of family. We were so fortunate."
There used to be two sinks in her shop and she had other beauticians, Shar Darlington, Kim Chauvet, Tracy Schuster, Patti Gasvoda, Barbie Hershogg (SP), and Cheryl Ostrom worked with her over the years. Shane decided he wanted to have an exercise machine so one of the sinks were removed.
Thirty-five years is a lot of years doing hair. "It was really fun. I miss the clients. I've lost friends over 35 years." She does have pain in her wrists and shoulder from the constant repetitiveness of it.
As a hair dresser, she still looks at people and thinks how they would look great in a different hair-cut. "Ya I'm bad. I do that all the time. She used to go to hair shows with continued education and would see trending hairdos. "Very rarely do people come in and say do what you want. People would bring in pictures and say they wanted that hair-cut." She would struggle a little, she would say, "Um, well, um they have twice as much hair as you, more body, and it's thicker than your own. She laughed, but we talked about how important it was for her to have the skill to interact with her clients. How she almost had to be a life coach as so many talked about their problems and concerns. She needed to have the skill to make her clients feel comfortable and trust her. "The best friends I have made is just unreal. Some I did their hair for 25 plus years. That's a lot of visiting, them getting to know my family and me getting to know theirs. They watched my kids grow up."
She has had a few disasters. "I thank the Lord, they make chemicals to pull color back out." One time she nipped an ear, "That was awful, because it bled like crazy! That was terrible." People's body chemicals change too. "Three months ago, the perm worked really good, and the next time it burned them like crazy. Home perm issues just had to be cut off."
I told her congratulations on her retirement. What are you doing? "I'm being a gramma and I love every minute of it." She will defiantly be with Shane full time helping with Ophus Auction Service . "I've talked about being done for a long time. I was ready this time. I quilt...there are six of us ladies and I love doing that. I am a hoarder of fabric. I took over the bedroom in the basement. I love it! I go every day to Julie's class. I love the workout class. It's awesome I can go every day. Julie Myers, oh my word, she has me so glad I retired. I feel wonderful. I feel like I'm 25! So that's one thing I'm doing that I wasn't doing before. I feel 100X better since I've been going to her. Even my doctors said, I don't know what you are doing but keep doing it." She hasn't been on very many drugs for any medical issues, but the strength of her skeleton system is so much stronger, so much younger then she is. So, lifting weights is something she has never done before, and retirement allows her to do so.
"I had the best clients. If I ever needed to do anything they would just give me permission to go and do it. I've left people under the dryer. People are so good. This town is so wonderful It's the best place to have a business and raise a family. Thirty-five years were so good to me."
Shane was the first person to let me know Gwen was going to retire. Gwen said he told her "I'm so proud of you for doing this for 35 years. The first 15 years of our lives this business helped keep food on the table while Shane was building his business. Shane has always worked very hard, but he is proud of me" He just wanted her to have the recognition that she deserves.
Gwen wants to thank the community for supporting her. "They helped raise my kids. It's phenomenal place."
