John and Lorraine Ridley have hung up their scissors.
For 40 years, the Ridleys operated John Lorraine European Hair on the Forgotten Mile. When they purchased the old home at the corner of Ann Avenue and Coastal Highway, a peach orchard grew in the place of the current parking lot.
“We walked in and thought, what have we done?” John laughed.
They gutted the home, transforming the living room into a reception area; the kitchen and bedrooms became salon stations.
“Lots of stylists have worked here, and they all left better than they came,” John said. “About 80 percent of the stylists opened their own shops. Some are still open today.”