Hair styling is a family affair for Vickie and Rachel Bruininga at Fashion & Styles salon in Wadena.
The mother and daughter beauticians started cutting hair side by side in November.
"It kind of runs in the family," Rachel said about the Bruiningas' interest in hair.
Vickie took over sole ownership of the business, formerly known as Fashion Beauty Salon, last fall after her partner and aunt, Barb Shellenberger, retired.
Her aunt's profession got Vickie interested in hairdressing, she said. Watching her mother give neighbor ladies perms also inspired her career in beauty.
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"It's creative," Vickie said about being a beautician. "Not everybody gets to look the same."
Styling together is a nice way to spend time with her daughter, she said.
"It's fun to watch her work," she said. "She does it well."
Working with her mom is a pretty good arrangement, Rachel said. They know each other and what boundaries to keep.
"We don't make each other mad," she said.
The two beauticians may share the same last name, but they have differing styling techniques. Rachel likes to create softer, fluffier hair, Vickie said. While she tends to use more hair spray for firmer styles. They each can do both techniques, she said.
Vickie and Rachel keep up to date on the latest styles and techniques by attending continuing education seminars together. The trends in the hairstyle books lean towards big, full hair, but Vickie said local ladies are not going for that. They like shorter, easier to maintain styles.
Although fashion and style is the ladies's business, caring about their clients as people is also important.
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Wadena resident Ione Bagdons was a long-time customer of Shellenberger before she retired. Now she goes to Vickie whom she describes as a "very nice lady."
"I wouldn't go to anyone else," Bagdons said. "I just plain like her."
The main reward of hair styling is feeling good about doing something for someone else, Vickie said.
"You know it makes someone feel better when they've been here," she said. "They look good, they feel good."
The business is a blessing, Vickie said.
"God's given us nice women to take care of," she said. "We're happy about that."
