I’ve had my haircutting business in Ann Arbor since 1980 (’80-’85 I cut hair inside Saguaro Plants on Washington St.) I opened Vicki’s Wash & Wear Haircuts at my Ann St. locale in 1985. Many of my clients have been with me since those early days. For 15 years my haircut shop also shared space with the Ann Arbor Film Festival while I was the Festival Director (I have a degree in film from U of M).
So, what is a wash & wear haircut? Simply, I cut the hair to do what it does inherently. I do not wash or blow dry, use a curling iron or give perms or color treatments. I cut all lengths of hair and all hair types. Curly hair? Bring it on! Straight, limp hair? Not a problem. I instruct my clients to throw away their brushes and hair dryers — use your fingers! Feel free to bring in pictures, or let me create the best cut for your hair, face, and lifestyle. I accept men and women, and am available for new clients. My haircut fee is $30. Click here to schedule an appointment or call me at 734.663.4247.
My haircutting shop and my home are filled with wonderful hand-crafted items that I’ve acquired over the years….art fairs, artist friends, galleries….the fruits of my searches for new treasures.
Clients and friends often comment on my collections and ask where I’ve found them. Though my haircutting shop is small, I felt I had room to do something I’ve always dreamed of: open a gallery/store of unique hand-crafted items and artworks. Working from the premise that my clients and future customers trust my taste, I fill my gallery with the kinds of items I would purchase for myself.
(In 2003, ten months after I left my position with the film festival, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I spent the next year and a half undergoing treatment and recovery. It was just several months before diagnosis that I decided to fill the empty space where the festival office had been with things to sell.)
I was initially drawn to only hand-crafted works made from recycled metal, thus the name Heavenly Metal. But as my sources widened I have found items made from other materials and fabrics that compliment the metal pieces as well as my taste.
I carry jewelry, purses and bags, apparel and shoes, porcelain and ceramic works, books, collage art, candles, home goods, vintage items, paper products….and more. Many of the goodies are made from recycled and reclaimed materials, such as tin barn roofing, barn wood, sap buckets, glass, billboards, melted-down metals, used woolen goods, recycled paper, vintage buttons and beads.
I also carry well-known lines such as Baggallini (purses and travel bags designed by two former flight attendants), Maruca Designs (purses handmade in Boulder), Baggu re-usable shopping bags, Wooden Ships sweaters, Skif handmade sweaters, Ian Nicholas’ collage art, Queen Bee bags and wallets, Nancy Gardner porcelain, Jill Pearson’s Wasabi jewelry, Judy Jackson ceramics, Beth Mueller milk bottle ceramics, handmade shoes from Arcopedico, Sergio Tomani, Groundhog, and Fidji Shoes, handknit sweaters from Georgina Estefania, Red Chair Studio’s hand-dyed silk scarfs, clothing from Mystree, Young Essence, and Hazel, among others. A little year-round Ann Arbor art fair, Heavenly Metal has become a great place to find gifts….as well as something wonderful for yourself.
If you are an artist with something wonderful to show me, please stop by or email me to pique my interest!
p.s. Music is one of the things that rocks my world! Guaranteed, you’ll hear great music while shopping in my store. Plus….I’m a DJ on our local community/student station, WCBN 88.3 FM. I co-host a show called “Tossed Salad Show with Vick & Mick”, Wednesday mornings from 6-9, and co-host “Just Folkin’ Around” Sundays, 7 -8pm. Check out my shows (and the station) wherever you live, live at wcbn.org/listen.html!
(Lucy, my little Papillon and Queen of the Shop, on her perch.)
