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16 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, June 6, 2007 Adding some colour t‘s impossible for a hairdresser Inot to develop a bond with the clients who frequent his chair. And over the last five decades, Orval Coupal, the founder of Capri Hairstyles Ltd. in uptown Waterloo, has made more than his fair share of friends that way. "You see these people more than their family does because some of them are here every week," said the 72â€"yearâ€"old. "It just happens. It‘s a friend ship. It develops." _ Capri Salon and Spa celebrates 50 years of hairstyling in the uptown To show appreciation to its clientâ€"friends, both longtime and new, Capri is holding an open house this weekend, which coinâ€" cides with its 50 years of business. "The open house is just a way to say thank you to everybody who has been here for us for 50 years," said Kevin Coupal, 46, the salon‘s owner. "1 don‘t care how many cities you go to, you‘d be hard pressed to find many salons that are 50 years old, much less still leaders in their community. For that, I‘m really proud." It all started when Orval‘s sister, Jackie Yorke, complained she couldn‘t find a decent place to get her hair done in Waterloo. "She was saying there weren‘t too many hairdressers who were good, and I wasn‘t very good either, but I had a mouth," he kidded. He opened Capri in 1957 at the age of 22. "And I got good," he said. Clients could get a cut and set for $2.25 in thase days. Orval still recalls charging his first clhent $7.50 for a perm, cut and set. "I thought I had made it," he said. His father â€" a blacksmith â€" was skeptical at first, telling him that being a hairdresser is not "work for a man." But he was earning much more than in his previous line of work: selling men‘s clothing. And his father‘s opinion soon changed. Five years later, Orval‘s brother, Claude, a hairdresser from Timâ€" mins, moved to Waterloo and became his business partner. Together, they ran Capri out of a By Jennirer Ormsron Chronicle Staff ___ Low Rate Mortgages Jwz that WOrK for you _ & g call Paul at: 519.573.3002 3 CALL NOW! *~ (24/7 Service Available) www.ecusolutions.com Kevin and Orval Coupal, from left, of Capri Salon and Spa encourage everyone, including those who have never been to the salon, to come to its 50th anniversary open house this weekend. The salon is in uptown Waterloo, at 52 King St. N. modest 500â€"squareâ€"foot building on King Street North in uptown Waterioo that had six chairs, two shampoo sinks and many dryers â€" a necessity in the days of pin curis. In the 1970s, the brothers bought the neighbouring building to accommodate their burgeoning staff and clientele. "We were so busy people were sitting on the rads, there was no space," Orval said of the expanded 4.500â€"squareâ€"foot shop. So much so, it wasn‘t uncomâ€" mon to see 30 dryers going at once Unlike today when clients come in once every month or so for a cut and a few times a year for colour, customers used to get their hair set on a weekly basis. "So instead of seeing 12 or 15 clients a day, you would regularly see 20, 30, 40. It was crazy," said Kevin, Orval‘s nephew. ww i e in aal dn i h Te ul ul w ul i in ental it 0 °0 WAL P 0 0 O GAN D PEAAA Pnd o NRA NAP CRAAA The turning point was in the BUSINESS s comnc. | GIC/RRSP/RRIF 1970s when people began requestâ€" ing geometric cuts, which took much longer to do. Kevin, Claude‘s son, joined the family business around that time. And when Orval decided to retire in 2000, it was Kevin who & "She was saying there weren‘t too many hairdressers who were good, and I wasn‘t very good either, but 1 had a mouth. And I got good." Founder of Capri planned to buy him out _ But that plan changed when his father suddenly died around the same time. "Basically, one 40â€"yearâ€"old guy bought two 40â€"year careers and investments out, and it was kind of like taking all your poker chips and saying ‘all in,‘ " said Kevin. After Claude‘s death, Orval stayed on at Capri, hanging up his scissors for good last year. Member of the Deposit iInsurance COrporation of Ontario www.dico.com Kitchener: 519. 742. 3500 EBUC Waterloo: 519.772 . 3050 erbnd That doesn‘t stop him from vis iting frequently though. s Capri now has a spa, expanded colour area, wig section for cancer patients and privateâ€"label hair, skin and cosmetics lines. "I said, ‘I‘ve cut hair for 52 years, that‘s enough.‘ " â€" â€" Kevin, meanwhile, has already achieved many of the things he set out to in 2000. "There isn‘t one inch of these buildings that we haven‘t renovatâ€" ed," Kevin said. ‘3 yeer 4.50% 4 o A Rvnaie n in 4 o Ni t tn NeA n 4 A e Apnly c in Gp. Regardless of the changes, some things have remained the same, including the focus on eduâ€" cation. Orval and Claude ran a school on the salon‘s second floor in the 1970s called the House of Coupal. And the brothers travelled extensively doing hair demonstraâ€" tions and shows; later, Kevin folâ€" lowed in their footsteps. "It‘s a hard life," Orval recalled of the time when he worked five days a week in the shop, and then spent weekends at hair shows. But it‘s paid off. "This business is unique in this city in that there isn‘t anyone else that has the competitive, educaâ€" tional and show background that we do," Kevin said. "We‘ve been leaders in our industry for 50 years, and not just a great salon." When reflecting on Capri‘s past, Kevin finds it surprising how many Continued on page 20 EBUCATIOH iE NaFtR ORMSTON PHOTO