Gardnerville salon bequeathed to daughter

The Gardnerville salon formerly known as the Hair Affair has been handed down the family line to 28-year-old Mandy Christy.

Christy's mother, Sharon Hielscher, owned the Hair Affair for more than four years before deciding to bequeath it to her daughter.

"I've been doing hair for eight years, and my mother has been doing it for more than 30," said Christy, who renamed the parlor the Velvet Touch Salon.

Originally from Las Vegas, Hielscher owned two beauty salons in southern Nevada before relocating north and opening the Hair Affair in Gardnerville.

"My mother was always planning to hand the salon over to her daughters," Christy said. "I always wanted my own shop. It was in my future. I just didn't think it would be in my near future."

Christy is keeping the shop close to her family. Her sister, Wendy Matthews, works as a nail technician.

"We're very family-oriented here," Christy said. "We all work as a team, and we love to have whole families come in, not just the parents, but kids, too."

Christy was fortunate to have a built-in customer base from her mother's salon. However, she said the beauty industry has not been immune to the economic downturn.

"Most of the time, the beauty industry is not hit," she said. "But, it's been hit this time. Distributors have told me that there are a lot of shops in Reno closing. Customers are waiting twice as long to color or cut their hair, or they're coloring their hair at home."

But Christy is optimistic that things are starting to turn around.

"The last few weeks, it has picked up," she said. "Not just for the beauty industry, but other businesses, too."

Christy is hoping to work with other small businesses on specials and promotions, including the salon's May 2 grand opening.

"We have a lot of local businesses participating in the raffle," she said. "It's nice to network and help each other out."

The salon's grand opening is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature refreshments along with the raffle.

Velvet Touch Salon is located at 1532 Highway 395, Suite 4. Regular business hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

For more information, call 783-7613.