ALTON - Turning Heads Beauty Salon is a family business that literally has been “turning heads” with their style and grace for 25 years in Alton. The beauty salon is located at 1803 Central Avenue, Alton.
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Owner Noel Bratton started the business two and a half decades ago and now her son, James Bratton, Jr. also known as Tony, a barber, her daughter, Cherrie Smith, a stylist, and new addition LaShawn Hubbard, a stylist/braider, join her in her business. Noel is so proud of her other daughter, Joanna Thomas, who is a St. Louis chiropractor, and says her daughter keeps her and the rest of her family adjusted to perform the best they can on the job.
Noel and her husband, James, have been married for 40 years. She said she loves working with her family in the beauty salon.
She started the salon 25 years ago when her husband took a break from Shell Oil. Her husband, James, is also good at cutting hair, Noel said. She worked at Central Hardware for 15 years and by the time it closed she had worked in her off time to obtain a hair license. Her husband helped build the shop in his time laid off from Shell Oil.
“My husband, James, is the love of my life,” she said. “We are very family-oriented and I think it is a magnet to other people. Quite often people are astonished I am working with my children. A lot of families today are broken and I truly believe a family that works together stays together.”
Noel recognized the importance of Black History Month and believes she has been a business pioneer in Alton.
“A lot of endeavors don’t stay afloat as long as we have,” Noel said. “I am going to stay afloat as long as we can because it is a family arrangement with my kids and we love the Alton community. We love all of our customers, many of who come to us for years.”
Noel Bratton said if she had to advise any young entrepreneurs on how to have future success, she would tell them just be kind to the people and they will keep coming, and be reasonable in regard to the pricing.
"That is my motto, just be kind to people and you will be surprised and work together as a team and give to people," she said. "This is a service. If you make them happy they will keep coming back. When people have a good atmosphere they keep coming around. We try to be as positive as we can, we don’t allow negative talking.”
