LODGE GRASS — Merval Phelan recalls his childhood in Crow Agency, where he often struggled to find a good hairdresser.
“On the rez there’s not a lot of people that cut hair … well, that cut hair good,” Phelan told KTVQ. “I needed a haircut, and everyone who could cut hair was either gone or, to be honest, in jail.”
At just nine years old, Phelan decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I went home, found some clippers under the bathroom sink, put a guard on, and started cutting my own hair,” he remembered.
Since then, Phelan has never let anyone else cut his hair.
Now, twenty years later, he is the only certified barber in the area, a career he never imagined pursuing.
Despite his initial reluctance, Phelan now runs a barber shop called Arise, housed in a newly renovated trailer along with a coffee shop, in a revitalized community.
Phelan is dedicated to serving his community, even paying attention to the smallest details like the direction of his barber chair.
“I face the chair this way,” he explained, emphasizing the positive changes in Lodge Grass. “We want people to see that Lodge Grass is improving and growing.”
Since their grand opening, there have been no incidents of vandalism or disturbances at the shop.
Phelan hopes to attract more visitors to the town by putting up an interstate sign showcasing the new businesses.
Mayor Quincy Dabney also shares in the enthusiasm for growth, envisioning a future venture that is youth-oriented, such as a youth center or a retro penny candy store.
One can almost picture the interstate sign ahead: CUTS COFFEE CANDY – NEXT EXIT.
