50 Years On Her Feet: Johnson
Recalls a Half-Century of Hair
By Martha Slater

Rochester beautician Jeanne Johnson has been doing hair for customers for 50 years. Betty Smith of Forestdale has been one of her regular for 46 ot them! (Herald / Tim Calabro)

It's Friday at 8:30 a.m. and Jeanne Johnson welcomes long-time customer Betty Smith into the cozy hair salon attached to her home on Route 73 in Rochester. Johnson’s husband, Bruce, and their Golden Retriever, Ginger, return from a trip to the mailbox with the folded newspaper clutched firmly in the dog’s mouth. It’s a weekly ritual for Ginger to present the paper to Betty, who comes over Brandon Mountain from her home in Forestdale for her appointment every Friday, weather permitting.

Jeanne, who recently celebrated 50 years in her chosen profession, grew up in South Royalton, Royalton and Barnard and graduated from Whitcomb High School in Bethel in 1955. Back when she was in high school, Jeanne’s original plan was to go to VTC to train for a job as a milk tester.

"We had cows at home and I was in 4-H, and I thought that’s what I wanted to do, but the hairdresser I went to convinced me to go to beauty school instead," she recalls.

In 1956, Jeanne graduated from the Mansfield Beauty Academy in Boston and began a long career of keeping her customers well-coifed. Now a proud grandmother, she is still doing that.

"I’ve been getting my hair done by Jeanne since before I got married 46 years ago," Betty says, while Jeanne covers her head with neat rows of curlers. "My sister, Maedean, introduced me to her."

Fresh out of beauty school, Jeanne worked for five years for Rita Allen on Main St. in Randolph, across from where the Village Pizza is now located. She has fond memories of her customers there, particularly "the Montgomery girls from Braintree, who were a lot of fun and used to bring me chocolate cream pies!"

It was while she was working there that she married Bruce, whom she met back while she was in high school.

"I came over the mountain to Rochester to go roller skating at Pierce Hall and that’s where we met," Jeanne recalls. "On Thursday, Jan. 18, we’ll be married 50 years!"

In 1962, Jeanne opened her own beauty shop in a room at Pierce Hall, later moving to where the Laundromat is now located, and then to the current location of Lou’s Shear Delight. She also worked for Louella Giddings and then Cindy Sargent before opening the salon attached to her house in 1996.

In addition to getting their hair done at Jeanne’s shop, her customers can also select from a colorful array of hand-knit mittens, hats and sweaters that she creates, or purchase some of the homemade jams, pickles and relish that she and Bruce make together. The couple enjoys spending time going to flea markets and craft fairs to sell their wares. In fact, Jeanne says, it’s all the years of working together on different projects that is one of the reasons for their long and happy marriage.

Jeanne and Bruce have two grandsons, both the children of their daughter, Debbie. Eric, 31, is a real estate broker who lives in Florida. His younger brother, Lief, 11, is a student who lives in South Royalton.

Jeanne does haircuts and styling for both women and men (Betty’s husband is an occasional customer) and notes that over the years, as styles have changed, she’s had to change and learn new techniques to keep up.

"I still do roller sets and pin curls, along with the newer stuff," she says with a grin. "Now I can pick and choose the hours I work, so at this point I don’t work every day like I used to."

Asked what’s been the most rewarding thing about her 50-year career, Jeanne doesn’t hesitate.

"It’s the long-term relationships I’ve had with customers over the years," she replies, getting Betty settled comfortably under the hairdryer.

"Another long-time customer of mine is Queenie Temple, who was the postmaster in Stockbridge for years. Now she lives over in Bristol, but she still comes all the way back her to get her hair done! Then there’s Fred Stern. I cut his hair when he was a young boy and still do when he comes back for a visit. I cut his son’s hair, too, and I also cut his mother’s hair, and his grandmother’s hair. That’s four generations of the same family! A lot of my customers have become more than that. They’ve become my friends, too."

____________