Making Haircuts Fun for Kids

"I was tired of driving my kids across town to get haircuts, and it was always a hit or miss experience with adult haircutting places. If my son was restless and threw a fit it would be an embarrassing experience, and sometimes the stylist would just stop so I'd end up with a poor haircut or half a haircut," Nancy Anderson, the owner of Pigtails & Crewcuts in Marietta and Roswell, said.

Pigtails & Crewcuts is a children's hair salon, which caters to ages one to nine but also does adult haircuts.

"Moms and dads bring in their kids, and it's just more convenient to be able to get their hair done at the same time as their children," Anderson said. "It's a tradition for families, like on Saturdays it's a dad-son day."

Tell us where you take your kids to get their haircuts? Do you have trouble getting your children to behave in adult salons?

The West Cobb Pigtails & Crewcuts in has been open for five years and the Roswell location for two. The franchise itself started in 2004.

"I got into the business because I saw there was a need in the community," Anderson said. "There isn't another salon like Pigtails & Crewcuts in West Cobb."

So Anderson set out to find stylists that understood the problems she'd experienced when taking her children, Jonathan, 10, and Sophia, 8, to adult salons and who wanted to cater to children. "I wanted a place where parents were not judged if their children do not like to get haircuts," she said.

The West Cobb location has six stylists, each with at least five years of experience prior to working at Pigtails & Crewcuts.

"It's an experience when you come here; you aren't just getting a haircut," Anderson, who has a background as a social worker, said. "You come in and our walls are brightly painted. Kids get to pick their chair, an airplane, taxi, firetruck or police car. The TV's are going with G-rated movies, and we also have adult chairs for the older kids and parents. We have a PlayStation 2 for kids to play while they are getting their haircut, and children are offered a treat with the parent's permission. Then they get to pick a treasure out of our treasure box."

The entire environment at Pigtails & Crewcuts is dedicated to children, Anderson said. The salon has two train tables and is well stocked with toys, including Legos and puppets.

Anderson admits that, while she herself is not a stylist, children can be challenging customers.

"It's worth it though," she said. "You get to be a part of this family's life. We do a lot of first haircuts and then we get to see them growing up and entering preschool. We see a family with one child become a family with two then three."

Anderson and her husband Scott have also made an effort to get involved with the community. "I am a little bit of a bleeding heart," Anderson said. "I'm always looking for different things to do for kids."

Pigtails & Crewcuts has done several can drives and partnered with for a back to school drive, during which they collected school supplies. They have also partnered with different local teams for the three-day Walk for the Cure sponsored by the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The salon also participates in Locks of Love, which is a nonprofit that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children with medical hair loss.

The West Cobb location has some unique hair accessories that are handmade by locals, Anderson said. "A lot of the items are from stay-at-home moms that are doing it as a side business," Anderson said. The salon carries Bekah's Blooms, Queen Bee Hair Barrettes and Simply Bows, among others.

Pigtails & Crewcuts
3718 Dallas Highway, Marietta 30064
770-795-9450
Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.