The matriarchs of hair

In 1967, five young women opened a hair salon in Bristol — fifty years laters, the Caboret Salon is still thriving, and its protegés are everywhere

By Christy Nadalin
Posted 5/21/17

"The state inspector who licensed us, he said we would never last, five women owning a business together," said Jo Ann Pasqual, a comment that elicits a good laugh among Pasqual and her partners …

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The matriarchs of hair

In 1967, five young women opened a hair salon in Bristol — fifty years laters, the Caboret Salon is still thriving, and its protegés are everywhere

Posted

"The state inspector who licensed us, he said we would never last, five women owning a business together," said Jo Ann Pasqual, a comment that elicits a good laugh among Pasqual and her partners Annette Moran, Annalee Tavares, and Beatrice Lavey.

"I guess we showed him," Pasqual added, to more laughter.

They did indeed. The business, Caboret Salon at 35 Constitution Street in Bristol, opened March 5, 1967, and is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year (about 35 years at the Constitution St. location). Caboret's longevity makes it one of the oldest businesses in town — and perhaps the oldest without a management change (the only change being the retirement of their fifth partner, Pauline Rapoza, due to illness in 1994. Rapoza passed away not long after.)

On a recent Friday morning, a steady stream of regulars came and went, with nearly every chair full. This included the chairs of stylists Laurie Paul and Donna Mello, new to Caboret only by the 50-year standard of the ownership — Paul has been with the group for 32 years, and Mello for 25. Another part-time stylist, Bal Mercurio, was not in this day.

The air, too, was full, with the exchange of critical information that is so much a part of any salon, but particularly when the one in question has been part of the community for as long as Caboret has. Snippets of gossip flew around the room and between the chairs: graduating grandchildren, children getting married and divorced, neighbors building additions, friends downsizing, moving away, returning from Florida for the summer. Conversational platitudes like "you know how it is," "kids these days," and "life begins at 80," (that one followed by more laughter) were overheard.

If the walls had ears, they could tell stories of generations. But they don't have to — Pasqual, Tavares, Moran and Lavey have heard and seen it all over the years, and they value every relationship, every exchange. All claim regulars who have been with them from the start — back when a cut and set cost $2.50 and there was no such thing as a blow-out. It was a different town back then, when the downtown was anchored by the 5 & 10 Store, Suzman's, Duffy's and Buffington's.

Several of these longtime clients are in their 90's now, and the women of Caboret have had the opportunity to know and work with their children and grandchildren — and even a few great-grandchildren. That legacy is a tremendous source of pride for the partners, even as Pasqual tells a story about warning a pre-prom client (in jest) not to remind her that she did the girl's mother's hair for prom many, many years ago. And despite the seniority of many of their regulars, Caboret draws a young crowd as well. Not only because in this business, experience is worth its weight in gold, but also because Caboret's stylists stay current with industry trends and have a "you want it, we'll do it" approach to customer service.

It's not just the passage of so many clients through the doors of Caboret that is such a wonderful part of this business' legacy. If you see a stylist in Bristol, there's an excellent change that she or he or their salon owner worked for the ladies of Caboret at one time or another. Patty Booth (Abbigale's), Peggy Murgo (formerly of The Look), Sarah Redmond (Hair, Heart & Soul), and Linda Pacheco (uptown Salon) all did, to name just a few. Others, like the Coccio family (Jennifer owns New Leaf) are former clients. The women of Caboret happily claim that all are still friends.

Ultimately, it is the friendships that have been the most fulfilling result of this 50-year collaboration, with clients and with each other. They have been friends as well as business parters, together through all of life's events and changes, watching each other's families come together and grow. It is these relationships to which they credit their good fortune and which, according to brief history compiled by Pasqual, have "made the American Dream come true for the girls at Caboret."

Caboret

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