Primp and Circumstance

Cut N Curls Salon makes students at Stewart Home School beautiful both inside and out.

By Sara Gividen
State Journal Staff Writer

A blond haired woman sits in the standard salon swivel chair, her head tilted back into the sink. She chats about what she had for lunch as the beautician rinses her freshly highlighted locks.

Then a young man dashes in the door, he needs immediate assistance, his eyeglasses are dirty.

"Cleaning glasses is my side job," beautician Patsy Chambers quips as she uses a towel to clean his lenses.

For Chambers, work at Cuts N Curls, the onsite salon for residents of Stewart Home School, is always a surprise.

"I have visitors all day, everyday," she said. There's never a boring moment.

She said the 400 mentally disabled students, ranging in age from 11 up living at the school, keep her on her toes.

"Everyday is busy. They love to come in here," Chambers said.

As the school's only beautician, Chambers said she is booked six months in advance.

Families schedule appointments and teachers or caregivers refer students to Chambers when they think students need grooming.

After working at the shop for a year and half, Chambers said she has finally fine-tuned her schedule.

"Every six months I make a new schedule. For the most part I keep that schedule," she said.

She keeps charts listing names and treatments for her 400 students in a binder, which she checks daily.


 "If I didnt have this book I'd be lost," she said as she clutched the binder.

The shop is reminiscent of typical salons, there are magazines stacked neatly on a wooden shelf near the entrance, bottles of nail polish sit in rows on a manicuring table and two dryer chairs line one wall of the shop. Mirrors show off Chambers' work at every angle.

"When I first came I was surprised at all they do have," Chambers said.

Chambers, a graduate of the former College of Cosmetology and Hair Design in Frankfort, offers not only haircuts, but scalp treatments, highlights, colorings, manicures, pedicures and waxings.

"For the most part I do what I feel they need or can handle," Chambers said. "When I came I started doing their hair the way they had it."

She said she fixes hair for extracurricular events the school holds, but that her busiest time is right before the holidays.

"It's my job to make sure everybody gets a haircut and looks good," Chambers said.

Chambers said balancing the chaos of her shop is something she's adapted to and is much easier to handle because she loves her job.

"I actually expected it to be worse than it is," she said. "I've adjusted well, the students make me feel right at home."

She said she worked 16 years at a friend's shop in her hometown of Lawrenceburg, but through word-of-mouth heard about an opening at the school's salon.

"I was so excited, it's the perfect opportunity for me in my life," Chambers said. "Not one day have I regretted coming here."

School superintendent David Sellwood said the marriage between Chambers and the school is perfect.

Patsy gives them such special attention, he said. They come out and feel so much better about themselves.

Sellwood said the beauty shop is one of the most popular spots on campus in part because of Chambers.

"We want our students to feel like they're going to a real shop," he said. "We feel very good about what she (Chambers) is doing."

Its evident the students adore Chambers.

Patsy is a sweetheart, Lindsay, one of Chambers' morning volunteers said. She needs a raise.

Lindsay, who has volunteered in the shop for four years, assists Chambers by rounding up students for their appointments.

"I just love it," she said.

Kay, who volunteers in the shop on afternoons, echoed Lindsay's sentiments.

"She's the best boss to work with," Kay said. "She is a wonderful person to be with."

Another afternoon helper, Vincent, is living his dream of being a hair stylist by volunteering at the shop.

"I like this job. I like sweeping the floor," he said. "She's my good boss."

Chambers said she is pleased to be a positive part of students' lives.

"These guys are so appreciative, they're just happy and satisfied," she said.

She said students greet her when she arrives at the school each morning and constantly come up to her for hugs and to talk during the day.

"They make me feel pretty special," she said. "I guess the closest I can compare it with is being Brad Pitt."

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4200 Lawrenceburg Road | Frankfort, KY 40601 | 502-227-4821
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