Written by Charles Noyes
Photos by Shana Sureck Photography

Published in Northampton Living (October 2020)

Andrea and Katie Clifford have been a valued part of the Northampton community since opening their hair salon, Salon 241, in September of 2008. Although the salon is no longer at 241 Main Street, the name has stuck and for more than a decade they have cut and shaped the hair of countless members of our community.

Though moving was an uncertain venture, especially moving off Main street, “We had the opportunity to double our square footage, move to the first floor, and add parking for our customers,” said Katie. But savoring the benefits of their move didn’t last long as the COVID-19 pandemic shut their doors suddenly in March.

Andrea and Katie first met while working at a hair salon and quickly hit it off, 14 years ago. “It was all a sign of good things to come for us,” as three years later they opened their own salon together in Northampton. With their love and business intertwined, it was only a matter of time before marriage and children followed their newfound stability.

Their wedding took place at Look Park on February 5, 2011, but not everything went to plan. “There was an ice storm and it made our day feel like a winter wonderland.” Though many couples would have considered their storybook wedding ruined by an unexpected ice storm, Katie and Andrea remember it as one of the fondest days in their lives. “If there was any day we could repeat, it would be our wedding day,” says Katie, adding, “All but three of our guests made it and there was only one broken ankle from all the ice.”

What drew them to Northampton are the wonderful schools and the genial community that warmly accepts a two-mom household. Their children, Jordyn, 17, Gus, seven, and Maxwell, four, all go to school in town and enjoyed their swimming lessons before they were indefinitely postponed. And while little Gus can no longer practice his favorite hobby, karate, they have found new hobbies to keep them entertained like finding frogs in their backyard. “The new family activity, when we can get everyone wrangled, is hiking in the woods. Our house is on the edge of a nature conservation so some of the trails practically start in our backyard,” said Andrea.

Along with the kids, there is one other resident of the household, and that’s Mable, the 10 year-old Shih Tzu. Mable’s favorite place in the world was the salon where she got all the attention she could ever want and she could sleep all day, “but she’s been forced to adapt like the rest of us. Since she’s been coming on hikes with us, she’s actually become pretty active and outdoorsy.”

But not every aspect of life under quarantine has been easy for the family. When things were first starting to close, Andrea wasn’t sure how things were going to go for their family business. “It was terrifying because the guidelines were so unclear and they were changing every day. It felt like every time I walked into the salon it was like stepping into a warzone.” The same feeling was true for their staff, who were all just as unsure about the future as everyone else. “Things were certainly grim,” Andrea added. But their entire staff returned, albeit in staggered shifts, much to Katie and Andrea’s delight. Appointments have been spaced out with every other chair blocked off. Half the stylists work in the morning and then clean up for the other half to work in the evening. “It actually turned out to be a blessing,” Andrea beamed. “Not only has business begun to recover, but we’ve been able to share some truly human moments with people.”

“One woman came in and as Katie was shampooing her hair, she just started to break down and cry because she hadn’t felt any human contact in three months. It’s things like that that have really left an impression on us, whether it’s helping people color their extra grays or shedding their long, grown-out hair, it’s been amazing being able to provide these emotional transformations every day.”

Sharing these kinds of moments with people have reminded them of all the good they’ve done for the community over the years. “We’ve tried to give back to the community whenever we can,” said Katie. “We ran a fundraiser for ALS a few years back when a beloved client of ours contracted it. And we’ve had fundraisers for the young one’s preschool three years in a row.” Evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive reception they’ve received upon reopening, I would say the community feels just as strongly about Andrea and Katie as they do about the community.

Not only has this been an opportunity for them to witness human moments like this, but it has brought them even closer to the community they love and vice-versa. “People have placed their trust in us to follow all the new guidelines and we’ve trusted them to wear masks and check their temperatures and for the most part everyone is responding well to these changes.” With every day being a new challenge, both Katie and Andrea have been working overtime trying to keep things flowing smoothly at the salon and at home. Knowing that their efforts have benefited the community has made everything worthwhile. “We see people come in with all the negative emotions that they’ve been dealing with the past six months, people barely holding it together, but the looks on their faces when we show them their cut is priceless. It is almost like people are holding these emotions in their hair and we have the ability to relieve them of that burden. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”