BOONE LIFE: Hair salon provides styling and atmosphere

Ever enjoying her work at the Shear Image Family Hair Salon, Brenda Mahoney laughs at a joke told by one her many loyal customers while she puts the finishing touches on Mardie Bruner's twice-monthly coiffure Friday afternoon in Hallsville.   ¦  ZACHARY SIEBERT

HALLSVILLE – Nestled in the heart of Hallsville, there is a small green cottage where folks come from all around to update their look, but they end up getting more.

“We have a ball in here,” said Brenda Mahoney of  her business, Shear Image Family Hair Salon, which has been open for around four years. "We're kind of crazy sometimes."

But don’t get the wrong idea: Mahoney and her partner, Patti Bush, have more than 50 years combined experience and are certainly not wet behind the ears with a pair of scissors and a can of hairspray.

“(Customers) are a lot happier when they go out than when they come in … well, usually,” she said.

Despite being on her feet more than 12 hours some days and working more than 40 hours a week, Mahoney gives the impression that she truly does love her work.

“Every client is a challenge, and I just love the people,” she said. "I hope we do good. They keep coming back, so that's good."

Raised among the stretching sea of cornfields of northwestern Missouri, Mahoney moved to Boone County and has been prettying people up for nearly 30 years.

“It’s just something I always wanted to do," she said. "I like to work with my hands. That’s my thing, I guess. I enjoy the people, and a lot of folks are like family.”