Dozens of customers, old friends and family members attended an Appian Way Hair Care open house and barbecue last Saturday afternoon in Centralia to celebrate the retirement of former owners Jim and Nonie Stiltner and the arrival of new owners Alexis Dickey and Cassey Zwiefelhofer.
Appian Way has been a staple in Centralia for nearly 50 years after the salon’s original location opened in the Lewis County Mall in 1974. Dickey and Zwiefelhofer are looking forward to taking over.
As for their retirement plans, Nonie Stiltner plans on relaxing while Jim plans on doing the same and perhaps sneaking in some fishing.
“For the first time after 55 years, I’m not doing anything,” Nonie Stiltner said.
Nonie Stiltner is currently 83 years old while her husband Jim is 89. Throughout her career as a hairstylist, Nonie Stiltner has done the hair for four generations of Dickey’s family.
“She did my mom’s hair and my grandmother and great-grandmother, on top of my own,” Dickey said.
Dickey and Zwiefelhofer started talking with the Stiltners earlier this summer while working together in the Smartstyle Hair Salon inside the Chehalis Walmart Supercenter.
“Jim walked into Walmart and he was saying he wanted to sell his salon, so I passed it onto Cassey, we talked about it, and here we are,” Dickey said.
The pair plans on keeping all existing hair care services Appian Way offered before the transition, on top of adding hair extension and makeup services. While owning a business can be a daunting task, both Zwiefelhofer and Dickey are embracing the challenge.
“It’s more stressful sometimes, but there’s a lot more freedom. At Walmart, it’s very go-go-go, and here we can take our time and do things better,” Zwiefelhofer said. “It’s nice knowing that the money that we make off that goes into our own pocket.”
They also like the home-like atmosphere at Appian Way Hair Care as it allows them to really get to know their clients and make clients feel more comfortable.
“I know people travel all the way to Olympia or Portland for full-care salon service like waxing, hair coloring, because the salons and barber shops around here can’t do that,” Dickey said. “But here, we can.”
Because they are a full service salon, they even get customers coming from East Lewis County, Dickey said. Dickey added they are currently offering a back-to-school special where kids 12 and under can get $15 haircuts.
“In the first week of September here, all services will be 10% off,” Zwiefelhofer added.
Appian Way Hair Care is located at 22134 Old Highway 99 SW in Centralia. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, visit https://appianwaysalon.com/.
