ANDERSON, Ind. — Haircut. Shoeshine. Airbrush art.
Walk into Davis Unique Salon & Boutique Center and there’s no telling what you might take home.
With battlements on its roofline, the salon at 1604 S. Madison Ave. resembles a castle. Three months ago, owners Jeffery and Antoinette Davis added a barber to the staff of six stylists to give customers the royal treatment.
“It’s a good working atmosphere, we offer a lot of unique deals,” said master barber and stylist Alan May-Bey, the new recruit. “We had a meeting a while back about raising our prices and we decided that we needed to keep prices low for our customers.”
May-Bey said the salon’s commitment to $10 men’s cuts and $8 cuts for kids and seniors reflect its commitment to do whatever it takes to serve its customers. On Monday, the salon played host to “Takin’ it to the Street Beat,” a cooperative radio show sponsored by The Herald Bulletin and NewsTalk 1240 WHBU.
May-Bey also describes himself as a master shoeshiner and was polishing a pair of black boots to a high shine before the broadcast. The hair artists at the salon share space with an artist of a different kind: airbrush specialist Keice Swain.
“I’ve been an artist all my life, drawing as a hobby,” Swain said. “I have six brothers and five of them can draw. I mainly do T-shirts, but also sweatshirts, hoodies, portraits, murals, motorcycles, and I have a car hood over there.”
Swain’s skills have come in handy for creating Madison Heights apparel for alumni still loyal to the defunct high school; the recent debate over the closure of one Anderson high school has fueled a spirited debate.
“We knew financially that Anderson could have two high schools and go bankrupt, or have one high school and scrape by,” said Bill Jackson, who attended the broadcast. “Parents are threatening the school district with taking their kids out of Anderson schools, entirely.”
Ed McNeary, who has worked with the Delaware County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, came to talk with co-host and Madison County NAACP colleague, James Burgess. Both McNeary and Burgess have served as mentors for Michael Harley, who is learning the ropes of the civil rights organization.
“I don’t want to speak for people of my generation, but we know about what the NAACP symbolizes and what it has accomplished,” Harley said. “It will continue to be an important organization.”
Add strong opinions to the list of offerings at Davis Unique Salon & Boutique.
Contact Justin Schneider: 640-4809, justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com
'Takin’ it to the Street Beat’
Sponsored by The Herald Bulletin and NewsTalk 1240 WHBU
-- Monday, Jan. 18, 2010, from 7-8 p.m. at The Madison County Branch NAACP, 1015 W. 15th St. in Anderson
-- Attend the live show or listen to the broadcast, read exclusive coverage in the Tuesday edition of The Herald Bulletin and leave your comments online at www.theheraldbulletin.com
