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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Valley hairdresser closing up shop after 48 years

Longtime hairdresser Dennis Stanciu finishes the hair of client Carole Taylor recently at Stanciu's in-home salon, which he's had for 31 years. (Jesse Tinsley)

It’s been an odd week for Dennis Stanciu.

He’s run a hair salon out of his house in the middle of Spokane Valley’s Sherwood Forest for the past 31 years, and recently clients who don’t need haircuts have been asking for them.

“It’s like they just want to come in one more time,” said Stanciu, who’s closing his salon at the end of the year. “It’s been an emotional week.”

Stanciu, 67, has been self-employed his entire life except for a six-month job a long time ago, and the time he served in the Navy. Born in Illinois, he ran a salon in Goleta, California, with his cousin before moving to Spokane.

And for the past 31 years he’s been cutting hair in what he calls his home office.

“I don’t know where time went,” said Stanciu, sitting in his neat salon last week.

He has been a hairdresser for 48 years and his plan was to keep going until he hit 50 years.

However, a swing dance-related injury last year changed all that.

“My wife and I were dancing and I fell over backward,” Stanciu said. “I broke my back.” He now has four fusions in his back and he may need two more.

“I can no longer be on my feet all day,” he said.

His clients are both men and women – the youngest come in for their very first haircut when they are around a year old, and the oldest was a neighbor who lived to be 102.

“Some clients have been with me as long as I’ve been here,” Stanciu said.

He’s been passed down through generations in some families.

“I cut the little kids’ hair and suddenly they are in college,” Stanciu said.

And, yes, people do confide in their hairdresser – a lot.

But good luck getting a story out of Stanciu.

“I’m sworn to secrecy,” he said.

He’s heard of medical problems – he said people like to show him their scars – marital problems and all kinds of stories of kids and family members.

Sometimes he gives advice.

“That’s always free because it may not be that good,” Stanciu said.

His wife, Pam, has worked at Valley Hospital for 36 years as a receptionist, and the couple has traveled a lot.

An amateur photographer for many years, he enjoys sharing some of his best shots.

Two walls in his salon are covered with photos from trips around the world.

In a museum case by the door sits a small antique camera collection.

“The cameras came from my customers,” Stanciu said. “They just started bringing them in.”

Stanciu said he’s always enjoyed picking peoples’ brains about what they do for a living.

He figures he’s cut the hair of one of his clients at least 300 times – in pretty much the same style.

“One guy said if I closed he’d just break in and cut his own hair,” said Stanciu, laughing.

He’s only had one client give him a completely free hand and that was a woman visiting from London. Another client requested a completely new hairstyle with one condition: “I could only cut her hair a tiny little bit.”

Stanciu is definitely looking forward to his retirement, but he’s going to miss his clients.

“I’ve had the cream-of-the-crop clients,” Stanciu said, “I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”