Woodie's Clipper Shop & Apt. Suites -  November 2007 Merchant of the Month

 by Renee Lea Lee

 

Woodie's Clipper Shop & Apt. Suites is a family owned business that has been located at 924 Broadway in Hamilton and is also where all of his other businesses are located we will discuss in this article. "Woodie", aka Stephen Woodruff, is the owner of Woodie's Clipper Shop. He has owned the building for the past 11 years and worked here for the past nine. For about 30 years now, Woodie's family has been in business at this very location. Woodie expresses how it all began, "I started working here for my Mom and the late Bill Ralston in 1998. In 2001, I bought them out and changed the name to Woodie's. We have had a major change every year I have been here." He has been cutting hair for nine years in this same building.

In addition to being a licensed cosmetologist and barber, Woodie is also the mayor of our fine town of Hamilton since 2005 and comments, "I enjoy both of these jobs immensely." Woodie's Clipper Shop provides clipper cuts and mainly men's and boy's hair cuts. Woodie offers walk-ins only so no appointment is needed and the average hair cut takes him only about 8 to 15 minutes. The majority of his cuts are medium styles using clippers on the side and scissors on top including short fades. And yes...he does do flat tops in three different styles, In all, Woodie offers about 15 different styles of haircuts on a daily basis.

"I attended Dayton's School of Hair Design, Scharfenberg Beauty and Barber Academy, and Southeastern Community College. Each year I attend a hair show to get my continuing education hours."

Woodie's Clipper Shop is open from 8:45-5:30 Tuesday through Friday and Saturday from 8:45-2:30 and other times by appointment. For more information you can contact Woodie's Clipper Shop at 217-847-3881.

In late 1999, Lacy Helenthal, began working with Woodie to help with the overflow of men's haircuts. "Today, my little sister, Lacy, is the owner of Lacy's Beauty Salon along with Joni Fojitik who joined Lacy's last year as a professional hair stylist with several years of experience. Lacy has been working as a hair stylist in this building for the last eight years and she also offers other salon services." Lacy's Beauty Shop and Woodies Clipper Shop have also undergone major remodeling and changes in the past year.

Woodie add, "Lacy's Beauty Salon offers hair coloring, cutting, and styling for both men and women; perms, manicures pedicures, and waxing. They also do many hairstyles for prom, homecoming, wedding parties, and other formal events. Lacy and Joni do many different styles of hair and can offer you advice about what kind of hair style and/or color would look best on you."

Lacy received her degree in Cosmetology from Carl Sandberg College and she and Joni also attend the hair show yearly to receive their continuing education hours. Woodie's team agrees, "We all do our best to to go to the best schools and keep more than what the state requires for education. We feel like this keeps us on top of what's hot and what's not an what will meet the needs of our customers. "Woodie's Clipper Shop and Lacy's Beauty Salon share the same address of 924 Broadway Street, Hamilton, IL 62341, but Lacy's has a door on the east side of the building and Woodie's door is located on the west side. Lacy's Beauty Salon can be contacted at 217-847-3881 or 319-795-2842. They are open from 10:30-4:00 Tuesday through Friday and Saturday from 10:30-2:00 with other times by appointment.

When I asked Woodie about the other businesses at his location he explained, "Doug and Deanna Campbell are the owners of dcampbell media who joined us just a few months ago. He is the owner of a professional photography and digital media studio. Doug has seven years of experience in the professional photography business." Doug received his degree in Professional Photography from the New York Institute of Photography and he is a member of Professional Photographers of America and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.

dcampbell media provides professional photography services for individuals, families, and groups. Doug offers photos both inside and out, individual, senior pictures, and groups for family or school sports. He also takes professional pictures for weddings, parties, and other important events and he offers many different layouts and formats for your pictures including invitations, greeting cards, and calendars.

dcampbell media is located in the rear half of Woodie's Clipper Shop and shares the same front door as Woodie's but has a different address of 924 Broadway Street Suite B, Hamilton, IL 62341. To reach dcampbell media you can call 217-847-3850, email info@dcampbellmedia.com, or check out the services offered at http://www.dcampbellmedia.com. dcampbell media is open Thursday night and Saturday afternoon and other times by appointment.

The newest change to the building is the addition of the newly-remodeled Woodie's Apartment Suites. "There is an addition of two decks behind the building. We took down an old set of stairs that was connected to a very small wooden deck and replaced them with a 16x8 deck and an 8x8 deck/landing with 3 foot wide wooden stairs. We also added patio furniture and a large stainless steel has grill on the deck for people to use if they would like to while they stay in the suites when the weather is agreeable."

Woodie's Apartment Suites provide a place to stay for people visiting from out of town, people that are misplaced from their home due to some misfortunate event, or people that just want to relax and get out of the house for a while. There are three full-sized, fully-furnished apartments available for rent by the week and free, high-speed internet service is provided in every suite. All you need to bring with you to stay in one of these suites is your clothes, personal items, and you laptop.

Offered is a Business Suite, Classic Suite, and Relaxation Suite each furnished with different amenities for different needs. "A one-week stay in our Classic Suite figures out to be just a little over $35.00 a night which is better than many hotel/motel room prices."

Check out the website www.myspace.com/woodiessuites for pricing, pictures, and more details.

Watch for some great packages coming up! "We are working on some wedding packages for this winter that would include a stay in the suites, hair styling, and pictures all in one spot and for one price. We thought this would be a great option for wedding parties so the girls could all stay together the night before in the suites and come down first thing in the morning and start getting their hair done. Then they could just walk up the stairs to the suites to get dressed and/or do their makeup. Once they are all ready they could go back downstairs and have Doug take the pictures of the wedding party before anybody's hair and/or makeup has the chance to get messed up. The guys could also meet the girls up here for pictures and the bride and groom could use the suites for their wedding night and/or honeymoon. This could almost be your one-stop wedding shop!" Woodie articulates.

Further Woodie explains, "The suites are also available to be shown anytime. We are taking phone calls at the cell phone number 309-313-1266 almost all times of the day and night and any day of the week. If we do not answer for some reason please leave us a message with your phone number and we will call you back as soon as possible. Erika Woodruff, Woodie's wife, also takes care of the Apartment Suites, information and sales, general upkeep, and books.

The office for Woodie's Apartment Suites is located inside Woodie's Clipper Shop and has the same address Woodie's Apartment Suites' websites is http://www.myspace.com/woodiessuites. For more information about Woodie's Apartment Suites you can either call 309-313-1266 or 217-847-3881 or you can email mayorwoodruff@gmail.com

When I asked Woodie what he does with his "spare time" he notes, "I am the father to Seith and Stephie Woodruff and I have a wonderful wife named Erika. I love to spend time with all of them, although it seems like there is never enough of that . I am a man of many hats and have been blessed with many talents. I like old cars and I like to fish some too, when I get the chance. I attend two different churches; Faith Assembly of God in Hamilton where I have been a lifelong member, and Freedom in Christ Fellowship in Kahoka, MO, where I have been going on Friday nights for the last few years. I enjoy working with the kids during family night on Wednesdays at Faith Assembly of God and have recently begun to enjoy singing a little bit. I do almost all of my own remodeling work or at least oversee the projects as they are getting don. Right now I am deeply involved in tow of my greatest passions: church and politics, and I love spending time in both of these areas."

When I asked Woodie what he enjoyed most about living and working in the Hamilton community he replied, "This is a well-rounded area where you can safely work and raise a family. Most of the people here are so friendly and forgiving that it is easy to get along with everyone. I don't look at this business as being strictly a Hamilton business, but I look at it more as being a tri-state area business. I would like to say a huge Thank You to God and the people of the tri0state area for making our family who we are and where we are today. Thanks also to all of our past, present, and future customers, supporters, and friends. We couldn't have done this without you!"

Congratulations Woodie and team for being the November Merchant of the month!