Julie St. Laurent

By JON BAKER

PAWTUCKET  —  On this particular Friday afternoon, Julie St. Laurent isn’t as busy as she’d like.

The owner of Barber-Ettes, a 1950s’ retro barbershop/salon for men, women and children, would love to see more guys stroll through the front door, across the black-and-white tile floor and request a “short regular,’ but there are none today.
Still, she admits business isn’t bad. In fact, this pixieish, lifelong North Seekonkian — who estimates she currently caters to 250 clients — is looking to turn an unused portion of the shop here at 875 Central Ave. into a stylish extension for … well, stylists.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it, except that I want it to be a salon within a salon,” grinned St. Laurent, whose husband of 20 years, Eddie, owns Seekonk Foundations Co., a corporation he bought from his father, Edward St. Laurent Jr., years ago. “In essence, I want to open that up with a more futuristic twist. I’ll be looking for professional cosmetologists to rent it out, or work for me as (hair) stylists.
“Honestly, I may hire three young, beautiful chicks right out of school who want to cut men’s hair,” she added with a laugh. “What I want all of us to do is attract more of a male clientele that, when they leave, they tell their friends, ‘Have you been to that place on Central Avenue? It’s a pretty cool place. I want to give them something to talk about.”
How this shop came to be is more than intriguing. In fact, it’s filled with twists and turns.

Since her days as a child, St. Laurent always has adored cutting hair.
“When I was seven or eight, I used to cut my friends’ bangs,” she said. “The parents wouldn’t get mad, I guess because I was just trimming them.”
Upon graduating from Seekonk High in 1983, she took some accounting courses at Fisher Junior College, then decided to enroll at John’s Creative School of Cosmetology in Johnston, graduating with such a license in 1990.
Immediately after, she worked at Claire’s Salon near her home in North Seekonk, but left after just a few months.
“I decided I didn’t like the roller-set and perming stuff,” she said. “Pure and simple, I wanted to do more cutting in younger, hipper styles.”
She quickly landed another job at Hair & Beyond in Swansea in 1992, and remained for two years before choosing to become a “full-time mom” to daughters Emma (now 17) and Heidi (14).
“Still, I didn’t want to put down the scissors because I loved it so much, so I set up my own little place in our basement,” she noted. “I cut my family’s hair while taking care of the girls, and I also did bookwork for Eddie’s company. Eddie used to come home with his friends, and they would ask me for haircuts.
“In 2000, I wanted to start my own business, and it was because I wanted to get the heck out of the house,” she added. “I needed to be out in public. I’m a people person, and I knew it was time. I always had liked cutting men’s hair because it’s much easier. There’s less stress, no gossip and it only takes 15 minutes, plus the tips are better.
“I knew I wanted to base my clientele on men, so I knew I had to come up with something to attract them. The goal was to make it 75 percent men and 25 percent women and children. Starting from scratch, I knew that was the best way to establish myself, getting guys to walk in off the street. Most women are so set in their ways with their own stylist.”
The only problem? She didn’t have a place to call her own, or a catchy name.
That all changed whimsically around Christmas 1999. The St. Laurents went to dinner one night with a friend of Julie’s -- Maureen, a high-end stylist -- and her fiance, Mike McCarthy.
“We were sitting there talking, and -- all of a sudden -- it just popped into my head, ‘Barber-Ettes,’” St. Laurent grinned. “At that point, Mike told me there was a shop for sale near our house. It was small, but I purchased it quick, and, within three weeks, it was up and running.”

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Then came the bad news. In April of 2005, the landlord had decided to sell the building, and the new owner informed St. Laurent and four other renters they had 30 days to vacate the property.
“I didn’t want to get thrown out, and I was pretty upset, but I also thought that, when one door closes, another opens,” she said. “I started searching right away. I had about 150 clients then, and I lost at least half. It was back to the basement for me.
“I wanted to find a place within a three-mile distance so people would still come,” she added. “I didn’t want my clients to have too far to drive.”
Turns out, her accountant figuratively pointed her toward a nail boutique on Central Avenue. Nothing came of that, but daughter Emma noticed a “For Sale” sign in a building window across the street. After some investigation, St. Laurent decided that’s where she would set up shop.
“Within three weeks, I put a down payment down on the building, which was built in the 1930s; it used to be Leo’s Spa,” she said. “It was like a convenience store, and then it became a computer shop. Later on, as Emma and I talked about the décor, she said, ‘Mom, do it 1950s-style!’ I thought that was a pretty good idea.
“I always loved the black-and-white tile floors of malt shops, and I grew up watching ‘Happy Days,’ so I figured it would be fun,” she added. “I started it by purchasing a historic Route 66 neon clock when we were on vacation in Bar Harbor, Me. I later bought the real traffic lights from a friend of Eddie’s, and we off and running.”

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Walk into the shop now and it oozes the “’50’s.”. You’ll peruse not only the checkerboard floor but also vinyl records adorning the walls and a waiting area consisting of two pink, cushioned booth seats bought from an old diner.
Blaring from the stereo system (Sirius Satellite radio) are 1950s’ tunes, including -- on this day -- Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” and the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman.”
“I had to reinvent myself after the old place,” St. Laurent claimed. “I had done my homework after I had to leave it, and I had to push myself to become motivated to purchase real estate. It was kind of scary trying to keep the ball rolling. With the ‘50s’ retro idea, I knew it would help me succeed, attract new clients.
“Eddie did all the renovations to the building, putting in the floor and stuff, and Maureen gave me ideas as to layout, where to put things,” she added. “I had worked by myself until just two months ago, but then I found Amy DiPietro (a 1992 Seekonk High graduate) to help.”
Price ranges for men are $10 (seniors), $12 (regular cuts) and $15 for those with longer hair; women $20-25; and children $10. She also offers custom air-brush spray tanning, not to mention coloring and highlights.
 “I consider myself a self-made woman,” St. Laurent offered, “though I know I’ve received some help, too. I keep pushing myself to be creative, and I’ve worked hard to think outside the box. I’m still working toward future goals.
“The biggest is to make this work so Eddie can retire,” she added.
For more information, or an appointment, call (401) 727-0719.