By L.J. Gambone / Hesperia Star
Hair’s the thing. When it comes to wigs and other supplies designed to keep your mane looking beautiful, no store in the area carries a wider selection than Hair Emporium in Victorville, according to its owner Omar Lago.
For the past 25 years, Omar and his wife Paula’s business has been supplying top-quality products at reasonable prices, as well as personalized service to area residents.
“Our very first shop was called Earrings & Things and we were next to Sally’s Beauty Supply in the Von’s shopping center on Bear Valley Road,” said Lago, a native of Los Angeles. “Customers from Sally’s would come into the shop and request that we carry wigs and hair extensions.
“Paula and I started looking into it and started bringing those products into our store. Before long, we realized we needed a larger space.”
Lago and Paula went on to open Hair Emporium in the same shopping center that housed the old Wal-Mart store on Bear Valley Road and Balsam Avenue. Lago admits that when the chain’s store closed three years ago, he and his wife experienced a decline in sales.
“The closure of Wal-Mart definitely affected us,” said Lago. “But we found a spot that’s far bigger and better.”
Hair Emporium is now located in the Bear Valley Plaza Shopping Center at 12475 Mariposa Road. According to Lago, the space is significantly larger than the former location and much more accessible.
“This new store is big and spacious and our customers just love coming in here,” said Lago. “And you can see us from the freeway, which makes us much easier to find.”
Along with wigs and extensions, Hair Emporium sells a variety of other products and accessories, such as makeup, shampoos and conditioners, fashion scarves, jewelry, barrettes and scrunchies. In addition, it offers a selection of hair adornments for youngsters.
“We are very well established and work with 20 different distributors,” said Lago. “Customers are amazed when they come in for the first time and see all that we have to offer.”
Lago said Hair Emporium will be expanding again in the near future by adding a salon inside the store. It will offer everything from wig fittings to haircuts to hair extension applications.
“We’re very excited about the salon and hope to make an announcement soon about the date we will officially open,” Lago said.
Hair Emporium is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The store offers a 5 percent discount for seniors, as well as a 10 percent discount for military personnel, cosmetologists and chemotherapy patients.
For more information, visit http://m.mainstreethub.com/hairemporium or call 760-951-1616.