Lucy In the Sky

Bubbles floated up and around the entrance to the hair cutting studio of Lucy in the They emerged smokestack of an old fashioned miniature train, which is mounted onto the roof of the studio. Lucy's studio Is located in downtown Ventura, on the back side of a restored Victorian home. There's a purple picket fence encompassing the studio's front porch. The front side of the fence displays a recreation of an Anne Geddes scene. Lined against the fence we several flowerpots containing life size baby dolls.,  On the other side of the front door is a small waiting room surrounded with an eyeful of animated memorabilia. Filling the room are photographs of past customers along with baskets and containers loaded with toys on the floor. Near the front door Is a sign that reads, "Please bring a can of food to each visit, Thank You."
Lucy, a smiling, cheerful, curly haired lady, bounced with enthusiasm as she entered the waiting room. Lucy was dressed in loose fitting purple sparkly pants that were complimented by the the batik shirt that she wore. She explained her sign asking for food, Project Understanding collects this food to give to the homeless. I also collect the tabs off of soda cans to help pay for dialysis treatments." As Lucy pointed to an enlarged plastic Coke bottle, she told, "Every time this bottle is filled with these tabs it pays for one dialysis treatment.
Lucy went on to tell about her other Interests, "Sometimes I go into local schools as Purpllicious the Clown. I perform for donations of canned food. My purple dog, whom I color with vegetable dye, comes with me. I'll spend a couple of hours making balloon hats and painting the kids faces." She continued, "I also work at ZAKA. lake, working with Inner City kids. I teach them clowning, how to work with clay, and occasionally lead nature hikes."

"I have been cutting hair for the past twenty-five years," Lucy states, "but I have only been doing clowning for five years." She recalled fondly, "I learned everything I know about clowning from a boyfriend who passed away a couple of years ago. His name was Bubble the Clown. It was Bubble who got me really into it."

In order to got to Lucy's room, it was necessary to pass through the Garfield room. It is called this because of the hundreds of Garfield figurines, each one unique In Its characteristics, which we displayed on the rooms shelves. Lucy explained that she rents out this space to another stylist who works as an Independent Contractor.

Past the Garfield room, down a couple of steps, and to the right, is Lucy's room. Her room is a truly incredible eight. The purple walls are hardly noticeable behind all of the animated Wizard of Oz collectibles that fill the room. Sprawling from the near the corner of the room, is a large paper maché tree. The branches reach out as if they're trying to grab the nearby hanging mobiles. The mobiles that hang from the ceiling look like twirling hologram patterns, spinning on their miniature motorized hooks.

On the far, right side of the room, from the ceiling to the floor, stands a fuzzy gray cylindrical object. Lucy shared its story, "That's the tornado from the Wizard of Oz. It used to spin, but one day it spun out of control and went crashing across the room. Now it just sits there."

In the back of her room is a door, that looks like a closet from the outside. This Is the Star Trek room. Inside is a flashing strobe light, as well as several black lights. A star ship enterprise hangs from the ceiling. Fluorescent target posters hang on the walls. Upon entering the room, Lucy offers a laser gun to take aim at these targets. This room is used mainly for parental entertainment because young children tend to be afraid of the flashing lights and the posters of aliens.

Since Lucy's father owns the building, she is able to decorate it without any complaints. "This part of the building used to be the servant's quarters for the main house," Lucy told as she greeted her next customer. He was a two year old boy, named Casey. Casey took his place in the burgundy vintage barber chair, which is located in the center of the room

Over Casey's lap, Lucy placed a small table to hold the games that she gave him. One was a penguin roller coaster, the other was a fishing game with small fishing poles. "The toy," she stated, "helped to make getting his hair cut an enjoyable experience." As she trimmed his hair, some of it entered his mouth. Lucy gave him a few pieces of sour candy, saying, "Once he tastes the candy, he'll forget about the hair in his mouth."

"I do quite a few hair cuts everyday. The most haircuts I ever did In one day was twenty-six. Usually I do a lot less. I like to make sure that I have enough individual attention to give each child during their visit," Lucy shared while finishing Casey's hair.

Having the chance to get to know lots of new little souls, is Lucy's favorite part of her job." I like having the opportunity to send the message of love to as many people as possible," she said with devotion. "People are like zebras, each one has its own set of stripes."

-Heather Jacobsen