Garfield’s Hairdressing

Garfield’s Hairdressing has been in Waterbury for over 50 years, owned and operated for 25 years by Robert and Gail Garfield. The original salon was in Stowe and Waterbury’s salon was located on Stowe Street. Because of the growing community of Waterbury, Robert and Gail decided they would remain open six days a week, plus many evenings to accommodate working men and women and their school-age children. This was a sign of their dedication to serving families.

In time the Garfield’s outgrew their Stowe Street location, so they moved to 32 Main Street (currently the Bargain Boutique). During this time their daughter, Christl joined the business. When Robert and Gail sold the salons in the 80s and moved to Florida for health reasons, Christl became the owner. To this day, Christl continues to value families and doesn’t think of her business as a job.

Garfield’s has been through several disasters however it has recovered each time. When the building at 32 Main Street suffered a fire, the salon was ruined. There was too much water damage, so they relocated to 6 Elm Street (the Wards Catalogue and now Prohibition Pig). Christl expanded services by adding two tanning beds, which at the time was all the rage. After having been in that building for 18 years, it was time to look for a new place, importantly, something with handicap accessibility. When Jeff Larkin, owner of Arvads, mounted a rent sign on the building directly across the street, Christl did not hesitate. She moved the salon to 1 Elm Street (the Conti Block), which is where it is today. Handicap accessibility has been a blessing; as we age or as we are diagnosed with medical issues, it’s been nice to accommodate everyone.

In 2011, Tropical Storm Irene arrived, and the entire salon was destroyed. Only three years post move to this location, everything was gone. However, Christl, along with her husband and son did not hesitate. An intensive cleanup effort resulted in Garfield’s reopening for business in three weeks post flood. Christl is forever grateful to her family and to the Sunflower Salon for hosting her for those three weeks while Garfield’ s was undergoing renovation (again).

In March 2020 another disaster, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the salon to close again. Yet It reopened in June, with many changes including face masks, shower curtains to seclude each chair, and continuous cleaning. But they will always do what it takes to get back to work.

Christl feels truly blessed to be a part of Waterbury and to be a part of the town’s history. She enjoys working in Waterbury. It's family, as she was raised in Waterbury Center, attended the local schools, and now lives in Moretown.

Times have changed from hairstyles to colors. and Christl works hard to stay current and keep up with it all. If something doesn't succeed, then she works hard to find what works. Her hopes and dreams for this family salon is that it continues to provide the best service to the Waterbury community: listening, while cutting, coloring, or perming. It is more than just going to the hair salon; Christl wants it to be an experience everyone looks forward to.