Annie McClure is pictured cutting Chris Estep’s hair.
A Little Off the Top celebrated 25 years’ worth of haircuts yesterday by holding a customer appreciation day.
The Daleville-based business was started by Roger Williams of Salem. He was on hand for the celebration.
When Williams retired 14 years ago after amassing 50 years in the business, Annie McClure took over the business. In total, McClure has been cutting hair at A Little Off the Top for 21 years. To date, she has been cutting hair for 38 years.
Although McClure is originally from Roanoke, she now views herself as a “Botetourt girl,” having called the county home for many years.
McClure explained that she didn’t always plan on becoming a barber. After receiving a bad haircut, she decided to cut her own hair so that it would look the way that she wanted it to. It wasn’t long before friends and family members started asking her to cut theirs as well. Realizing that she had a knack for dealing with hair, she went on to obtain her cosmetology and barber credentials.
“The customers are awesome,” McClure said. She explained that she has a very diverse clientele base, with her clients ranging from farm kids to judges.
When cutting their hair, she said, she always engages in lively conversations with her customers. As a result, she has learned far more about chickens and the complexity of modern jurisprudence than she ever thought she would.
As she reflected back on the past 21 years that she had been at A Little Off the Top, she noted that her favorite part of the job has been getting to see her customers grow up. She even has customers whose hair she cut as a child who are now bringing their own children in for her to work on.
The barbers that comprise A Little Off the Top are all women, something that McClure said is somewhat unusual. In total, four barbers are employed there.
