Astoria hair salon closing after nearly 50 years in business

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A beloved hair salon in Astoria is closing its doors after nearly 50 years in business. She Goes to Your Head will close this Sunday.

Pauline Janelli opened the salon in 1977. At the time, Janelli was working at a nearby salon but opened her own space on Steinway Street when business started to boom.

“I had 14 stylists. It was great. We were so busy and it was such a wonderful atmosphere. The clients were wonderful. The staff was even better,” Janelli said.

But over the last several years, business started to slow and bills grew. When the pandemic hit, things took a turn for the worse.

A few months ago, when Janelli got an offer for the building, she felt she had no choice but to sell.

“I thought maybe it’s time. I’ve been here so long. Maybe I need to open up other doors in my life,” Janelli said. “Very very sad. It’s like giving away my first born.”

Elizabeth Rao has been a hairstylist at the salon for 43 years. She is devastated by the closing.

“This is like a death to me,” Rao said. “The people who come in they say bye just to me. I say bye to many many people. And I’m afraid I’m never going to see them again and it really hurts me.”

On Friday, many customers showed up to say goodbye.

Patrick Zic, 55, has been coming to the salon since he was 15 years old. After he met his wife, Jennifer, she fell in love with the place too.

“My heart broke. This is a family here,” Jennifer Zic said. “You come here, they are always here for you. They did my wedding. I’ll never forget it.”

“This is a cultural icon and it’s always been here. Everyone knows this is the hair cutting place in Astoria. Without it being here, it’ll be just weird and not right. Where will I go?” Patrick Zic said.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Janelli is hoping to reopen a smaller salon in the future.

“This community is a good community and it’s changing,” Janelli said. “I care about the area and what’s going on here. I hope it gets better and I hope it changes back the way it was.”

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