Home About Salon Services

9/16/2011 11:08:00 AM
Old photos sought
Robin's Nest in Jefferson historic site
JEFFERSON - Robin's Nest II, long a fixture in Jefferson, has returned after a hiatus of five years, this time locating in a historic building on Main Street.

In keeping with that heritage, the owner is seeking historical pictures and memorabilia from Jefferson, especially photographs that have to do with the hairdressing trade.

The new Robin's Nest II opened Aug. 29 and began taking walk-in customers immediately. It is a full-service salon, offering both nail and hair care and plans are in the works to add massage in the future.

"I had a salon in Jefferson for 30 years before I sold the business to the B.E. Hive," said owner Barb Congdon.

The second salon remained in the old location, on Grove Street on the south side of town, for three years before expanding and moving to a different location.

Now Congdon has decided to bring the Robin's Nest back to Jefferson, opening in a historic building downtown located at 136 S. Main St. The Grove Street building, which she still owns, now houses an adult daycare.

"I was so thrilled to find this (new) spot, because I love historical buildings," said Congdon.

Robin's Nest currently has four locations, in Fort Atkinson, Watertown, Milton, Whitewater and now Jefferson again. Robin's Nest I opened in Fort Atkinson 38 years ago.

Congdon noted that the Robin's Nest's building in Milton is more than 100 years old, as is the Fort Atkinson building, a former home from the 1800s, and the old farmhouse in which the Watertown Robin's Nest is located.

"When this building in downtown Jefferson opened up, I saw it as an opportunity," Congdon said. "I have three girls from Jefferson, and Denise (Ball), who ran my shop for 15 years in Jefferson, said she would be happy to return.

The building, dating from the mid-1800s, formerly housed the Spoon German restaurant and after that, Funky's Hair, which recently moved on to a different location on Racine Street.

Congdon said she was fortunate to be able to get the new Main Street salon ready in about two months, gathering salon furniture from her other locations and purchasing some antiques to match the building's historic décor.

"We had to get a variance for the dropped sign, and I was really happy to get it passed," Congdon said.
The building, owned by Craig Ellsworth, has a gold-painted pressed-tin ceiling, the original tile floor, and beautiful built-in details, including a floor-to-ceiling cabinet along the north wall, its details highlighted with deep maroon paint on top of the glossy white.

It has two quaint restrooms, a men's and a women's, which date back to the building's saloon days.

The building also has a tucked-away back entrance, accessible from Milwaukee Street across from the Brick Haus Cafe, where Congdon plans to put in a courtyard with an umbrella and flowers.

While preparing to open her new Jefferson location, Congdon also talked with some of the Jefferson historical buffs, Elmer Waldmann and Maryann Gleisner.

Although it is not yet complete, Congdon said, she intends to decorate one entire wall of the new salon with historical photos of Jefferson, concentrating on hairdressers and barbers. To go with these local historic pictures, Congdon said, Redken will be sending some historic photos of its salon on New York's Fifth Avenue, which has been in business 60 years.

Congdon noted that Jefferson has some interesting hairdressing history. Germaine Weissmann, for example, a hairdresser here for six decades, won the "world cup" in doing the "bob" hairdo back in 1931, when she won "master bobber" honors and a first-place trophy at the International Bobbers Convention in New York.

A barber who made a big impact in the area was Tony Wagner, 58 years in the business, whose son, George, also followed him into barbering.

Congdon said that along with these historical highlights, she's also interested in obtaining pictures of local people with interesting hairdos from throughout the years.

Perhaps people have photos of themselves or family members sporting a 1930s bob, a 1960s "beehive," extra-long sideburns or 1970s Farrah Fawcett-style feathering ...

Congdon said she plans to hold an open house at the "new" Robin's Nest II in conjunction with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce's annual Autumn Fest on Oct. 1.