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For the past 12 years Patsy Holbert has had a space at Karen Brannon’s Magic Mirror Beauty Salon on East Avenue. Holbert’s husband Charlie, her “shampoo boy” is in the background preparing Judge Lynne Brown for a haircut and style.
Morgan County Patsy Holbert with her customer and friend Emily Brewer. Holbert has announced after 54 years she is going to give up cutting and styling hair.
Pasty Holbert styles Monaray Powers’ hair while Judge Lynne Brown waits her turn under a whistling and watchful Charlie Holbert.
Charlie Holbert gets Judge Lynne Brown ready for a cut and style at the Magic Mirror.
Charlie Holbert, 86, prepares Judge Lynne Brown for a shampoo last Thursday at the Magic Mirror.
For the past 12 years Patsy Holbert has had a space at Karen Brannon’s Magic Mirror Beauty Salon on East Avenue. Holbert’s husband Charlie, her “shampoo boy” is in the background preparing Judge Lynne Brown for a haircut and style.
For the past 12 years Patsy Holbert has had a space at Karen Brannon’s Magic Mirror Beauty Salon on East Avenue. Holbert’s husband Charlie, her “shampoo boy” is in the background preparing Judge Lynne Brown for a haircut and style.
Morgan County Patsy Holbert with her customer and friend Emily Brewer. Holbert has announced after 54 years she is going to give up cutting and styling hair.
Pasty Holbert styles Monaray Powers’ hair while Judge Lynne Brown waits her turn under a whistling and watchful Charlie Holbert.
Charlie Holbert gets Judge Lynne Brown ready for a cut and style at the Magic Mirror.
Charlie Holbert, 86, prepares Judge Lynne Brown for a shampoo last Thursday at the Magic Mirror.
Emily Brewer looks good.
The shimmering silver hair on the 1954 Morgan County High School graduate is, says Magic Mirror Beauty Shop owner Karen Brannon, in a “set.”
And it is glorious.
“It’s going to look like that all week,” says Brannon. “That’s the art of hair dressing. It’s a set.”
Brewer, who says she was a member of the second class in Morgan County to attend school for 12 years, came by her “set” at the magical and knowing hands of Patsy Holbert. It was one of the last hair cuts Holbert would do. Last Thursday, after more than 55 years of getting women, and the occasional man, ready for the weekend, Holbert is calling it quits.
“I’ve gotten so old,” she says. “It’s time to quit running.”
On this Thursday, the one before New Year’s Day, Holbert is surrounded by 85-year-old Monaray Powers, who has just shifted into Holbert’s chair; Judge Lynne Brown, who has been a 40-plus year customer of Holbert’s; 89-year-old Gwen Hamby and Brewer.
In the corner, working on Hamby’s head with shampoo and warm water is Holbert’s husband Charlie Holbert. Married for 68 years this February. Charlie, 86, has been Patsy’s “shampoo boy” for the past dozen years, says Patsy with an expansive grin and glint from her bright and engaged eyes. “Don’t forget about my sweeping expertise,” Charlie says.
Together, the regular Thursday morning Magic Mirror experience has been a 12-year tradition for a group of customers that, at its high, was 15 regulars and has dwindled to six. Kay Van Dyke got her last hair cut at the Magic Mirror in 2021 when she was 103.
“This has been a wonderful place to work,” says Patsy.
Patsy started her profession in 1968. Fresh out of cosmetology school after she and others in a Madison manufacturing plant decided to give something else a try, she came back to her Apalachee community and Charlie had built her a space. “As soon as I got out he had a shop ready,” Patsy says.
“He always said ’No wife of mine is going to work and once I got going he said no wife of mine is going to quit working.’“
A session with Patsy and Charlie are $25 and on this day come with the added bonus of homemade Christmas fudge, peanut butter balls and divinity, all baked and delivered to the shop by friends.
A morning at the Magic Mirror on East Avenue, says Judge Brown, transcends a haircut. As Charlie removes Hamby’s coat and helps her to the shampoo station, Brown says the Thursday morning gatherings are an opportunity to catch up. “We know about all the community by the time we get done,” she says. If there is sickness, says Brown and Patsy, there is prayer equal to the problem among the women and Charlie.
“If someone’s sick, they pray. If there are people who need to be prayed for, we pray,” says Judge Brown.
“And we do a lot of remembering.”
After Apalachee, Patsy says, she bounced from shop to shop until making the Magic Mirror her last stand, renting space from a thankful Brannon. A lot of her customers were classmates of Charlie’s. Brewer says she spent four years sitting next to Charlie at Morgan County High School. “Never spoke to him, though,” she says.
For Brannon, losing Patsy and Charlie is akin to family members walking out the door. Brannon has been cutting and styling hair since she was 17-years-old and purchased the Magic Mirror from then ailing owner Shirley Almond four years ago. Patsy and Charlie came with it, she says.
“I have looked forward to Thursday when Patsy and Charlie were going to be there,” she says.
Without the Holberts, the women were discussing options. Patricia’s Modern Beauty Shop on West Jefferson was mentioned, as was Sister, Sister on Main. “Patricia’s a real sweet girl,” says Patsy.
As Dr. Roseann Weaver walks to the door, with a sparkling do, Patsy wishes her well. “God bless you and you keep getting better,” she says to the venerated Morgan County medical doctor.
Powers is nervous, in a good-natured, 85-year-old way. “She cut off all my curls, didn’t she?” she says.
Her hair, too, is “set” for the weekend.
Patsy says she’ll miss the effort but more importantly, she’ll miss her friends. “I come here because I love the people,” she says.
To get her cosmetology license she first had to get past the Georgia Educational Development test. It took her two tries, she says, but she persevered and began a 54-year career of watching people walking out the door better looking than when they came in.
“The Lord intended this for me,” says Patsy.
“Life is still kind of funny.”
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