By Alesha Capone
MY WYNDHAM: Frank and Anna Mollica will celebrate the 39th anniversary of their Werribee business, Hair News, in September this year. They chat with Alesha Capone.
Did you meet through work?
Mr Mollica: No, we met at a dance.
Mrs Mollica: But we both worked at Anthony’s, me in Werribee and Frank in Footscray.
Mr Mollica: We decided to do our own thing. We went on to work in Gladstone Park, Deer Park, Highpoint and I managed a salon in Hardware Lane too. We went everywhere else, and then came back to Werribee.
What was it like when you first opened Hair News?
Mr Mollica: There was none of this angle parking, people would park on the side of the road. There were no roundabouts or lights, we saw the first set of lights installed at the corner of Watton and Station streets. We would have young people come down the main street on horses.
Mrs Mollica: We’d also get people drag racing down the main street.
Mr Mollica: We started slow and the salon has grown into what it is today. We have third generations of customers come in. We pride ourselves on being family-oriented. We cut kid’s hair, we do anyone who’s got hair. We have two children and four grandchildren, and I cut my grandson’s hair the other day. My Dad was a hairdresser, I followed in his footsteps. One of my sisters is a hairdresser too.
What else has changed through the years?
Mrs Mollica: What we do with hair has changed from roller-settings and finger-waves, now into blow-waving and finger-waving.
Mr Mollica: One of the things is parking. Years ago, people would come in and it didn’t worry them. Now, with a hair cut, if it takes two to three hours to do that, if you’re parking for that long in some spots, you get a fine. Now we find that people go to the plaza, because they’re not worried about time limits there. This has affected the business.
I remember when we first came here, if you wanted chicken, there was no chicken shop – the closest KFC was in Footscray.
What do you like about Werribee?
Mrs Mollica: The socialising, the people are more homely.
Mr Mollica: It’s grown into a city, but it’s still got a country and family feel.
Werribee’s grown beautifully but it’s too big for the roads it has. Years ago, we had a small hospital – we’ve now got a bigger one, that’s a good change.
