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WIGS IN WINNIPEG: LOCAL CULTURE AND BUYING HAIR

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References

Cresswell, Tim. Place: An Introduction. Second edition. ed., Chichester, West Sussex, Wiley, Blackwell, 2015.  

Evelyn’s Wigs: http://evelynswigs.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAlfnUBRBQEiwAWpPA6R70Jh7lnSLCAuXbTgaAY4DyWKi-wa1PjiBdyg9xlI8dg4v0S-Cx0xoCRmMQAvD_BwE

Freedom Hair Image Evolution: http://www.imageevolutionhair.ca/freedom-wig

Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, Modern Library, 2011.

Lola’s Beauty Gallery and Supplies: https://www.lolasbeautygallery.com/

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Specialty Shopping: Where’s the Wigs in Winnipeg?

        Wig sales tend to take place in specialty stores, and a close examination of these stores in Winnipeg reveals that they are each designed to attract buyers on the basis of class and identity. In Winnipeg there are only three stores devoted to wig sales, and each of these provides a different experience and product to consumers. We can see how these shops are designed and managed to attract and serve different groups of consumers by observing and comparing these elements: the location and exterior presentation (sign/windows /finishes); the interior; the products themselves (quality/price/style); the customer service approach.  Even though it may sound crass, the stores can be associated with different classes of people in Winnipeg.  Because each store is so extreme, it may also be true (I know from experience) that they do not encourage diversity in the way that Jane Jacobs might recommend, but actually foster a sense of catering to some and excluding others.    

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Places as syncretic sites of gathering and assemblage. (Cresswell 55)

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        According to cultural theory, we learn about the way a society is organized by studying everyday life and patterns, “the ‘lived’ culture of different classes” ( Edgar and Sedgwick, 29).  Studying these stores reveals some connections between wigs as a commodity and class.  In Cresswell’s book we learn to consider places as assemblages:  “Places as syncretic sites of gathering and assemblage.” (Cresswell 55).  Each of the three stores is its own assemblage, and we can understand who gathers there by examining the exterior, interior, products, and the customer service.  When we look at the three stores together, we get a picture of the range of people who buy wigs in Winnipeg: Women who are downtown, on a budget, looking for a fun fashion accessory; women who are in the suburbs, and want or need a wig to enhance their appearance; wealthy women who likely need a wig as a substitute for hair, and who may have a medical condition.  

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Comparing Stores: The Big Three

        There are only three wig stores/locations in Winnipeg dedicated primarily to selling wigs.  Gisele and Company is located on 1032 St Mary's Road, in a suburban strip mall setting.  Lola’s Beauty is located right downtown, close to U of W,  at 567 Portage Ave. Finally,  Image Evolution by Freedom Wigs is a home-based business, located in Cartier Manitoba,  on Robideux Road.  While each of these stores is dedicated to selling wigs, each offers a different quality of product and reaches out to different clientele. Each offers a differ level of service and type of decor as well. By looking at the three stores, we can see how wigs appeal to different customers from different sectors of our population.

        Yet it is also interesting to note that there are specialty wigs that are not offered in these Winnipeg stores. If I look at wig stores in larger centres like Toronto and New York, you can find there are more stores and locations offering high end, often human hair wigs—wigs meant to be give the appearance of real hair, so that women who want enhancement can rely on them. If I look at wig stores in an entertainment city like Las Vegas, I find there are many stores that offer a wigs in a  “dancer chic” style-- long and curly, and made to look glamorous and artificial rather than long-lasting or realistic. Finally there are sport wigs designed for active lives and even swimming. There is a store ion online to distribute these wigs—Hats with hair-- but its location is in Florida, where playing sports and just living in in the hot sun is part of the culture all year round.

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Lola’s : Down Town and Downscale

        Lola’s Beauty Gallery is located on Portage avenue just past the University of Winnipeg.  The outside of the store has faded posters and has become a bit run down over the years.  Once you get inside you see that they have a wide stock of cheap, mostly synthetic “fun” hairpieces and wigs for sale.  Many of the pieces are designed to appeal to African American women and culture (this is clear because the models wearing the wigs are often African American).  They also offer hair styling services.  Some of the wigs are rainbow and pastel colored, while others are afro styled, black and curly or with dreads. 

        The women who sell the wigs are African American.  Lola’s Beauty Gallery has been in business since the year 1989.  They started out in a basement in St. Vital but as the clients grew by 1991 they relocated to Downtown Winnipeg.  The store is open to the public at large yet specializes in African American styles.          

        The store does not try to establish privacy, but it is not too busy either.  There is a large variety of wigs on display, along with carousels full of accessories giving the store a crowded feeling.  The store is older and the display cases are worn.  Lola’s Beauty Gallery has a functioning website though it is not very high tech, it is basic with few selections of wig styles on the web.  This store caters to women who want to see a large selection of wigs at a bargain price.

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Middle of the Road: Gisele’s in the Safe Setting of a Strip Mall

        Gisele and Company has been located in Winnipeg Manitoba.  It is on the first floor of a two story brick building in a clean and suburban strip mall. It is owned and run by one woman who has alopecia, which makes her technically a qualified person to speak to when you have this condition or conditions similar.  Yet she can be difficult to communicate with because she worries about making money, and wasting time.

        She sells not only wigs but wig variations and accessories, such as “fringe bangs”, “hat hair”, and more.  A lot of the products are made in the United States.  This wig shop plays an important role in Winnipeg, because it gives those who need to wear hairpieces for everyday use an option that will last longer than several months, but In my opinion Gisele’s does not carry the highest quality for wigs.  Most of the hairpieces are under a hundred dollars—good quality acrylics.; her human hair wigs are about fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars, so still affordable. They only last and look good for about a year.  A lot of reviews and websites point out favorably  that Gisele has the highest quality of wigs that are a part of an in store selection.  

        Her shop carries what is needed for a city that has the culture like Winnipeg.  The wigs are affordable. The accessories like shampoos and brushes is expensive yet it is in line with what many women spend in beauty shops when paying for these beauty products.  For the most part Winnipeg does not have a large population of celebrities who need super high quality hair pieces for going out to numerous parties or hiding from paparazzi-- unlike places such as New York, or Los Angeles.  Gisele has been in business for over ten years, and this is likely because she fills the need of offering good wigs at affordable prices, in a clean and safe environment. She also worries about confidentiality. To get in, you have to phone for an appointment, and she always deals with fittings in private. This is meant to be courtesy and offer privacy, but she is so extreme that it almost seems the person being fitted for a wig should act like they have something to hide.  As a business woman she knows a lot about her product though she is not always the best at dealing with customers in a polite way.  

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Upscale: Hair Evolution

      Jennifer Krahn, a local woman who is a grade school teacher in Winnipeg, is the owner of the franchise “Freedom Wigs” and represents the company to all customers in Eastern Canada.  She is in charge of a company that sells only high-quality, long-lasting hair pieces. They are custom made and range from 6000 to 10 000 dollars.  They are only made of real human hair, and no synthetic hair is available.  It is high quality because with this wig you can shower in it and wear any hair style you want without damaging the hair quickly. The life expectancy is several years.  

       To get a wig from this location, you first need to phone to make an appointment. The next step is to drive a vehicle out past the Perimeter, by the white horse in St. Francois Xavier—to Robideaux Road. The consultation takes place in the representative’s living room, and she has videos about the wigs and computer assisted scanning of the head for fitting. Once you purchase a wig it takes about 4 to 6 months to come, because it is being crafted in New Zealand.  Krahn does not call this a wig but a hair system because the cap is vacuum fitted to hold it in place.  in short, these wigs are the product of technological advancement and careful craft-man ship.

      When you deal with Jennifer Krahn, the customer has a very positive experience: where as in Lola’s the sales people are not very interested in the customers and where as at Gisele’s the owner tends to be bossy and push sales.  Krahn knows she has a luxury product and tries to taylor the experience to make the customers feel important.  She makes the experience pleasant for everyone with her charisma and knowledge.

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Low, Medium, High End, an Experience for Everyone

    Winnipeg is a city that is big enough to have customers with different needs, interests, and financial means.  The three wig stores definitely target three different audiences.  If you go to Lola’s, you enter a shop that is crowded and  open to the public to come and go.  There is lots of product choice and nothing costs too much.  It is harder to get into Gisele’s.  You need to make an appointment, and once you are inside the inventory is limited.  At the third “store”, actually Jennifer’s living room, the shopping experience involves taking measurements and watching videos.  There is no inventory since the wig will be custom made.  Each store has it’s own vibe and purpose, an assemblage to appeal to a targeted group of shoppers.