Gettin’ wiggy with it: Customers flip their wigs at Lynchburg shop

By Liz Barry

Published: May 12, 2008

When Susan Horsley wants a break from her sleek pixie haircut, she puts on her favorite wig: an auburn chin-length bob.

Horsley knows wigs. In 1979, she took a part-time job at The Wig Center on 1122 Main St. Her job was to help women choose the perfect wig.

In 1985, she bought the shop. Today, she’s sold hundreds of wigs and has become a fixture on Main Street.

Horsley remembers the exact date she came to Lynchburg: June 19, 1979. At 26 years of age, she left her family in South Korea and moved to Lynchburg to take English classes at Central Virginia Community College. One year later, she met her husband, Warren Horsley, and decided to stay.

Horsley put down roots and had a family. A photo of her 23-year-old son, Jarrell, who left last week for military duty in Iraq, lies next to the cash register.

The Wig Center is Horsley’s home away from home.

The walls of the narrow storefront are lined with 300 plastic heads on glass shelves — female figures dismembered at the neck. Except for the skin tone, the faces are identical — almond-shaped eyes, chiseled cheekbones and pouty lips. The hair is what makes each head unique. From flowing princesslocks to spiky boy cuts, no two hairstyles are the same.

Horsley has a knack for wigs. 

“It makes me happy to help people look beautiful,” she says. “I make sure they get the right wig.”

The Wig Center carries wigs made from human hair and synthetic materials. They range in price from $25 to more than $100. Horsley’s clientele is diverse, but most are black women and chemotherapy patients.

The Wig Center is drawing more customers who wear wigs simply for fashion, as an alternative to pricey haircuts. Wigs today are lighter and more realistic looking than they were 30 years ago, Horsley says.

“It used to be a wig is a wig,” she says. “Now, it looks like natural hair.”

When a customer comes into the shop, Horsley becomes animated. She assesses the customer’s needs and makes recommendations. To make sure a wig is right, she sits her down at small vanity to try out the do.

Horsley knows almost all of her customers. Today, it’s Lynchburg native Linda Blake and her 86-year-old aunt. Blake brings her aunt to the shop twice a year to pick out new wigs. This time, they buy two short black wigs with streaks of gray.

“Lord, I hope you don’t ever go out of business,” Blake says as they leave the shop. “I don’t know what we’d do.”

Five questions for Susan Horsley
What’s the most popular wig style this year?
The bob.
What are your most popular celebrity hairstyles?
Beyonce (long curls with bangs), Oprah Winfrey (dark brown curls with caramel highlights) and Katie Holmes (short, choppy bob)
What’s the best part of being downtown?
The people.
How many wigs do you own?
Four.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
I love to exercise. I do Tae Bo at home.