Even though she once dreamed of being a nurse, a decision to combine two other passions made for a unique career path that has been anything but ordinary.
Kathleen Lawrence, co-owner of Vintage Junky, once had dreams of being a nurse, but ultimately pivoted to hairdressing and selling vintage goods. She came by it honestly, too, acquiring a love for collecting vintage items from her parents.
“I’ve always wanted to do that; I thought it would be a great mix. My two loves smacked together,” said Lawrence.
“My mom started [collecting] when I was about 12. We would get in the car, and we would go collecting.”
This amassing of vintage items in need of a second, or third, home led Lawrence’s mother and father, Theresa and West Dirk, to open a vintage store called the Old and Resold Shop, formerly located on Scott Street in the east end of town. While her parents ran the shop, Lawrence completed her hairstyling apprenticeship.
“I moved to Victoria, B.C., when I was 18, and I did an apprenticeship for two years,” said Lawrence.
“There were no apprenticeships around here, so I found one in the first two weeks I was there in Victoria.”
An apprenticeship appealed to Lawrence because she could earn money while studying, unlike traditional schooling, which requires tuition and other fees. She apprenticed under Gerd Ranff, a man who apprenticed in Germany before the Second World War, with over 50 years of experience, and which led Lawrence to gain plenty of experience with the stylings of yesteryear.
“He did a lot of pin curls, waves, and roller sets. He did my first year of apprenticeship. I loved doing that,” Lawrence said.
Afterwards, she returned to Fort Frances. She also worked simultaneously at Rainycrest and Vintage Junky for a time after she opened the shop on Mowat Avenue with her friend and co-owner Onnalee Derksen.
“I worked at Rainycrest for roughly 15 years, doing hair. That’s when all my training in B.C. made sense. [At Vintage Junky,] we had just opened the December before COVID hit. I couldn’t work there and here, so I made a choice. I left there and stayed here. I’ve had a lot of them from Rainycrest that I still cut. It’s been 20 years, and I’m still doing their hair. You kind of grow together with the haircut.”
Lawrence considers herself a “hairapist” because she talks with her clients about almost anything.
“When I come to cut hair, it’s like everything leaves. It’s not a job to me. I love it, and I love talking. I can become what you need me to be in those moments,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence’s malleability isn’t limited to her hairstyling endeavours. It also applies to her varied interests in vintage goods, inspired by her mother.
“It had always been her dream to open up a vintage store, and she finally did so at the end of Scott Street. It was the Old and the Resold, and they were open for 20 years,” said Lawrence. “My mom taught me about glass. She taught me how to make sure it’s real milk glass, with the odd pattern, Hobnail. She taught me a lot, like a lot, about glassware. She loved chalet glass, so I love chalet glass. It’s weirdly shaped, and it’s all pulled out. I love crystal; I love glass; I love anything shiny; I love sparkles.”
Lawrence said when it comes to collecting, she also admires vintage books and cookie jars.
“I love vintage books and the way the paper sounds; the smell, the texture, I like trying to guess what year the book was made. We’ve had some really cool stuff, some Freemason books and old Bibles,” said Lawrence.
“I love it all. I could go on and on and on. My mom started me on collecting cookie jars. I have about 20 at home, and I have the rest here. I got it from my mother.”
Now at the helm of her own store, and still cutting hair, Lawrence said the partnership she has with her friend and store co-owner keeps the days running a business together fun, which helps keep Vintage Junky a vibrant piece of the downtown business scene.
“I’m doing this with my best friend, Onalee, and that’s great; we do it together, and that’s important for me; we’re best friends,” Lawrence said.
“The beginning was such fun, and it’s still fun today. We’re not able to be together as much during the day at this time, but it doesn’t matter. “
