Her business, aptly named the Hair Shrink, is one of the social hubs of the small town of St. Ignatius, a lively place of about 800 people where the clip-clop of a horse-drawn Amish buggy mixes with a motorcycle’s roar.
Several clients say her business’ name sums up both the literal and social elements of the salon.
As the oldest community in Lake County, St. Ignatius was founded in 1854 by Jesuit missionaries. Several street signs are missing downtown, perhaps reflecting locals’ preference to give directions by landmarks instead of by street names.
Or maybe in a town this small, the street signs are an afterthought. Even Atkins’ business card doesn’t list a specific address, but describes the salon’s location as “across the street from the St. Ignatius Post Office.”
Ashley, who walked in hoping to get a quick trim of her bangs and layered hairstyle, is in luck. Atkins’ stylist chair, occupied all morning with clients, is briefly vacant.
Ashley chats with Atkins about her morning picking raspberries for a local farmer on the first day of the season. Scratches from the thorns on the raspberry canes prove her labor.
She sinks into the chair and lets out a long sigh as Atkins gently massages her head, joking this helps “loosen the oils and relax the patron, so I can do anything I want.”
She starts trimming about a half-inch off of Ashley’s bangs as the two catch up on news about their families and friends. She’s been one of the original clients since Atkins opened shop about 25 years ago. Atkins’ customers, who range from 15 months to 98 years, are people whose hair she’s cut over the years as well as newcomers to St. Ignatius.
Atkins says her husband, Jim, “came up with the name sitting over a cup of coffee.” He works as a stylist in their sister store in Ronan. She says the name suits a hair salon.
“We always get a lot of visiting done about what’s going on in the community and in people’s lives. People tend to open up as the conversation goes on,” she says. “I just listen. I’m not a shrink, but as you get to know people, you get to know their kids, their husbands and their parents.”
Over the years, Atkins has watched her older clients deal with failing health and death. One housebound client pays her to travel regularly outside of town to fix her hair.
“It’s a people job and it’s difficult when my customers have a tough time and are going through stuff, especially as they get older,” she says. “The fun part of my job is I get to see lots of people and talk to them.”
Atkins says she never envisioned becoming a hairstylist and shop owner. But after she finished high school, she followed her husband’s lead and attended the former Big Sky College of Barber Styling. The couple have three children.
One day, she spotted a “For Sale” ad for the salon on First Street located near a lawyer’s office and a malt shop.
“I really liked the people and the area,” Atkins says.
Amid the conversation, her hair dryer competes with the humming air conditioner. A television and radio are on hand for entertainment on quieter days.
Atkins charges $12 for a clip and cut and $15 for a styled cut. She works from Tuesday through Saturday and cuts hair for about 15 clients each day. Atkins says she’s one of at least two hair salons in town and also draws people from the Dixon, Ravalli and Lake County.
Her busiest time is during prom season, when she employs her arsenal of tools, including trimmers, clippers, a flat iron - and curling wands in four different sizes for “up dos.”
Her quieter times are in the winter when many of her older customers go to Arizona and elsewhere to escape Montana’s long winters.
She says recent trends, at least among local youths, are girls straightening their wavy or curly hair. And both girls and boys want to color their hair.
Color isn’t on the agenda for two retirees who come for their periodic trims. And they clearly enjoy teasing Atkins.
Retired sheet-metal worker Bob Zeimet, 69, says he’s been coming to the Hair Shrink since it opened. He comments on how busy Atkins has become.
“She’s a rich woman,” he jokes. “Her husband won’t leave her.”
Has he noticed any changes at the salon over the years?
“Well, the door started sticking,” he deadpans.
These days, Zeimet is plowing 100 acres of leased land and will seed it for hay next year. He also helps his wife with her 19 Arabian horses at a breeding operation called Kyobi Arabians on their 35-acre farm in the county.
When he needs to keep his hair out of his eyes, he visits Atkins. She trims the hairs on the nape of his neck and starts drying his hair.
“She’s friendly and does a good job,” he says.
Vernon Posio, 69, of Dixon gets a haircut every three weeks or so when he’s in St. Ignatius for shopping and banking.
“She shrinks my hair every time,” he said. “She knows I like it short.”
Reporter Pamela J. Podger may be reached at 523-5241 or at pamela.podger@
missoulian.com.
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