Opal (Rodgers) Phillips

Opal Phillips's beauty shop still going in Baxter

For Opal Phillips, who turned 80 this year, the shop has been the fulfillment of a dream and a saving grace.

"It saved my life," she told the Herald-Citizen. "When my husband died eight years ago, I didn't have to stay home and worry about losing him. I still miss him, but I love people and the shop keeps me active and brings folks to me who are the nicest people in the world."

Many of those folks are now in their 90s. Some only come in once or twice a year for a 'perm.' Others make it to Opal's Beauty Shop once a week.

"It's an old people's paradise here," Opal laughed.

The little red brick building contains several styling areas, but only one part-time stylist now shares the shop with Opal.

"I used to take youngsters in, but I'd teach them everything I know and then they'd leave. I don't do that any more," she said.

Opal's folks, Burris and Addie Rodgers, had a farm in the Martin's Creek area where they brought up their two children, Opal and her brother Finis.

"The Rodgerses always worked like slaves," Opal said. "We'd be up before daylight, have breakfast and get out to the fields before the birds were up."

But that schedule ended up being a blessing.

"I can identify any bird from their song," Opal said. "As soon as they began to sing in the morning, I'd ask my dad and he'd tell me which bird was which."

Children of the Depression, the Opal and her brother lived on a farm that provided plenty of fruit and vegetables but little in the way of store-bought goods.

"We grew tobacco, corn, vegetables, cherries, apples and peaches. Especially apples.

"Daddy had a grist mill and if someone didn't have money to pay him, they'd give us some of the meal as payment. We often couldn't afford flour for breakfast, but we always had corn meal," she said.

With cousins nearby, the Rodgers children had playmates and plenty to keep them occupied after school.

"We'd play ball, ride bikes, shoot targets. And Dad and my uncle had the first radios in the neighborhood. People would come over to the house on Saturday nights to hear the Grand Ol' Opry."

But there was no money on hand to pay for continuing education.

"I loved school," Opal said. "I always wanted to go to high school."

With high school out of reach, so was Opal's dream of becoming a beautician.

The teenager who had 'done' her friends' hair knew she would like to become a hair stylist one day. But she couldn't get into beauty school.

"You had to have at least two years of high school to qualify to go to the beauty school in Cookeville," she said.

Instead, Opal continued to help out on the farm and eventually met and fell in love with Vernon Phillips, a friend of her then-current boyfriend.

"He picked us up in his car when we were out walking one day and as soon as we met, something clicked," Opal said.

The two were married and moved to Great Falls, Montana, where Vernon was stationed for basic training when he joined the Air Force during WWII.

"Have you ever been to Montana?" she asked. "It's beautiful country, but I've never been as homesick as I was then. We were there for a year."

When Vernon was re-stationed in Alaska, Opal came home to Middle Tennessee.

After the war, their daughter, Sharon, was born and Opal had a new career.

It was only when Sharon grew up that Opal thought again about becoming a beautician.

"I was about 38 or 39 and I realized I could get my GED and that would qualify me for beauty school," she said. "So I just went over to Tennessee Tech to take the test. I didn't realize there were books you could study."

With no study and only an 8th grade education behind her, Opal aced the GED.

"I think about going back to school sometimes, but I don't think I could compete with the youngsters of today," she said.

Instead, she discusses politics and local events with her clients.

"My tongue goes all the time," she laughed.

Now that she's cut back on the shop's hours, Opal has time to do things with her daughter (now Sharon Roberts) ... like going into Nashville this week to see a taping of TV's 'Wheel of Fortune.'

"My daughter enjoys every minute of her life," Opal said. "And she has been really good to me."

With her daughter nearby and her clients still coming to the shop, Opal has plenty of folks to talk to and to help out.

"All my ladies and men are as sweet as can be," she said.

"It gives me a good feeling to have them still coming to get their hair done here after 40 years."

Published January 09, 2003 12:27 PM CST