In a one-room beauty shop in downtown Albany one can find the gossip of the day. Dean’s Beauty Shop, run by Dean B. Craig, has become a social scene for many women in town, and some of the men.
“I keep up when I bring my wife in,” said Glen Ferguson.
The room is filled with laughter and chatter from the time Dean opens her shop at 7 a.m. until she closes it around 5 or 6 p.m. Topics range from elections and jury duty to gas prices and recipes. Of course, there is the usual gossiping of other people.
“She talks about her cousin being so odd. Why, she’s just as odd,” said one customer.
“There was somethin’ on the TV about some woman was 300 pounds and was down to 97,” says another.
Dean says she is close to her customers because she has been in business so long.
“We’ve all grown old together,” she says in her usual cheery manner. “Everyone seems to have a good time.”
As the sun sets in Albany and the last set of gray locks are swept to the back, Dean closes up for the day, but not before waving to her last customer.
“See ya soon,” she says.
