Joan Thomas runs “Joan’s Shear Secrets,” for many years, one of the seminal places in my town to get hair rinsed, colored, shaped or cut. Joan is a regal, almost imperious figure on Main Street, her schedule is always full, it takes a week or two to get to see her.
She is a presence, even sometimes an intimidating one, as institutions often are.
She knows every single thing that is happening in our small town – people talk to her all day, and she is a good listener – but she is famously discreet, she never discusses anything she hears.
She is my hair cutter, and I have to say I love going to Shear Secrets.
Joan runs a tight ship, and if the appointment is for 2:15 that is when it will begin. Hair cutting for me is not as important as it it to some people, I don’t have all that much left. Cutting my hair usually takes about 10 minutes, I like to take everything off the top (I do not care to try and hide my baldness) and trim the sides. It costs about $12.
It doesn’t rally matter where I go to get my hair cut, it never takes long and isn’t complicated. I go to chat with Joan. I go to soak up the feeling of community, the feeling of being in a small town.
In a town like Cambridge, the prominent hair dresser and cutter is a central presence. She matters, and in a way, the life of much of the town flows through her shop.
We talk about Disney World, and keep up on the rides and restaurants. Joan loves Disney World and knows it inside and out. And although I have found it to be overwhelming in recent years, she knows how to navigate it – no rides, inexpensive restaurants, the cheaper rooms, good planning.
We also talk about life, family, and share news of our lives. It’s comfortable but Joan has good boundaries, it doesn’t ever get to drama.
I feel comfortable with Joan, she knows what she is doing and is unfailingly gracious. There is something regal about Joan, something calming about going there, her place is always neat and swept, it has a kind of 50’s feel to it.
I am enjoying the portrait series, it is helping me to understand my life and to connect with the faces that make up the community that is our town. I am also learning about the psychology of portrait-taking. How I behave has a lot to do with the photos I take. The portrait show is scheduled for September in the Round House. Should be fun.
It will be painful editing these down, I’ve taken 40, we have room for 20 or 25. I’m glad I have a curator. Joan was a bit anxious when I started taking her photo, but she loosened up, and I got a wry smile out of her that seemed to capture her soul a bit.