For more than half a century, Sarah’s Beauty Salon – located at 718 West Commerce – has provided residents of Brownwood and Brown County with professional hair styling services for women and men. But on Dec. 31, the establishment will close its doors for the final time as hair dressers Sarah Gomez Tellez and Nancy Conner will begin their retirements.

“We opened 52 years ago this past July,” Tellez said. “It’s going to be hard to go, but we did very well and I’m very thankful.”

Tellez and Conner have developed a deep bond with their customers over the years.

“God blessed us in such a beautiful way that every customer we had, these people were kind, nice, they loved people, we loved people, we got along great, and we made great friends with these people,” Tellez said. “When you’re in your 20s you don’t know a whole bunch. When we were younger, our older ladies educated us on what kind of a person to be, what kind of a mother and family person to be. They would give us good advice and we listened and welcomed their advice. They didn’t quit us, they stayed with us. I don’t think another job would have given me what I got from my customers – an education in the way that people are supposed to live. They were spiritual people and I sit back and think how I’m really blessed because where else could we go and get that?”

Unfortunately for Tellez and Conner, many off their customers have passed on, which led to their decision to close their business.

“So many of our people have passed away and others have had to go live with their daughters, there’s just not enough business to keep us here,” Conner said.

Tellez and Conner reflected on happier times as well as how hair styles have changed during their time in the business.

“When we came into the business we were doing razor cuts and used rollers, and just about everybody got a permanent,” Tellez said. “We went to school 54, 55 years ago and went to conventions with 2,000 people at a time. We’d go there to learn and we’d go two or three times a year to different places like San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, and Corpus Christi. We kept up with the fashions and styles. We were always busy because we stayed educated. Now girls don’t have to go to those things because it’s on Facebook or Pinterest. It tells you how to do the haircut. People might think we’re getting out because it’s hard, but now it’s actually easier.”

Tellez also recalled when Sarah’s Beauty Salon began attracting male clientele who were aspiring for the John Travolta look of the late 1970s and early 1980s in movies such as Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy.

“We had men lined up,” Tellez said with a laugh. “I didn’t have a barber’s license, but it was still legal so we were OK.”

Further reflecting on the past, Tellez said, “I used to do hair for 28 ladies a day. We’d come in at 5 in the morning and leave at 8 or 9 o’clock at night and we’d take hair pieces with us when we went home and we’d still be combing hair until midnight. We didn’t have time to eat lunch because we had so many.”

At one point, Sarah’s Beauty Salon had nine hair dressers prior to Conner’s arrival. Tellez added that Conner has never taken a vacation in her 47 years working at Sarah’s Beauty Salon.

“She’s never had a vacation, ever. She just worked,” Tellez said. “She never took a week off, never went anywhere, she just worked.”

Conner added, “I never had vacation so it didn’t bother me. You have to be here for your customers, if you’re not here you’re not going to get any customers. If you’re going to have to a lot of people, you have to be here.”

Looking ahead to the future, Tellez said, “I help my sister take care of my 97-year-old mother. I come on the weekends so my sister can go home and rest. During the week I’ll be taking care of my husband, who’s had a stroke. I might have to go out and find a part-time job because utilities are so high, just to supplement our social security checks.”

And if the need to come out of retirement arises?

“We’re blessed in that we can still move and do something. We’re used to hard work, we’re not afraid to go out and try something else. And If I have to get back into this, I still have my license and I can ask someone if they’re willing to hire a 75-year-old woman,: Tellez said with a laugh.

Both Tellez and Conner quickly responded that what they will miss most about their jobs is the people.

“We have the kind of people you fell in love with,” Tellez said. “They were super. They were a God send. I will never quit praising God for the place that he put us in and the working environment, I’m very grateful, very thankful and I appreciate every one of those people. They weren’t just a customer, they were our educators.”