Irene’s Key to Beauty
How Irene Robbins Built a beloved Salon that Became So Much More
Words by Cooper Kirkpatrick | Images by Justin Hunter and courtesy of Irene Robbins
Irene’s Key to Beauty was a humble yet lavish beauty store that offered a wide range of products and services at an affordable price. Customers could get haircuts, perms, colors, pedicures, and more, all with remarkable value.
In the 10th grade, Irene enrolled in beauty school, determined to earn her license. She was actually hoping to use the money she made to further her education and accomplish her goal of being a teacher. Things changed after graduating high school, when she married and devoted herself to raising her daughter. She set her teaching ambitions aside, and grew to love the beauty industry.
Once Irene's daughter was too old for a babysitter but not quite old enough for staying home alone, she found a new way to balance work and family. She and her first husband, Carlin, transformed three spare bedrooms in their home into a salon. By the time she was 25, she took a leap of faith and officially opened Irene’s Key to Beauty. On February 6, 1969, her first customers walked through the door, stepping onto wooden planks laid over the muddy ground, an impromptu fix after weeks of relentless rain made paving a parking lot impossible.
In those early years, Irene had to get creative. Many beauty products that stylists rely on today didn’t exist yet, forcing her and her small team of four employees to improvise. But word spread quickly. Irene’s Key to Beauty—sometimes mistakenly called “Irene’s Cutie Beauty”—became known as a jack-of-all-trades salon. Whether a customer needed a simple trim or a complete makeover, Irene and her team delivered.
“I loved working with women, and I began to feel like it was my calling,” she says. "Making people feel beautiful is so rewarding."
Irene styles a client’s hair.
Running a business came with challenges, but Irene never wavered. She built her salon with her own two hands and poured her heart into it, but she credits her clients for making it truly special.
“I think I was the most blessed hairdresser that’s ever been because I had the best clientele. I had the cream of the crop when it came to customers,” she says.
After 37 years of building a beloved business and forming lifelong connections with staff and customers, Irene was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. Doctors strongly advised her to stop working due to the risk posed by the chemicals used in hair treatments. After decades of dedication, she had no choice but to step away. Without Irene at the helm, the salon eventually closed its doors.
Still, Irene’s spirit never faded. Even after leaving the business, she remained connected to the people who had made her salon feel like home. Former employees and longtime customers still check in, sharing stories and memories of the shop.
“Your hairdresser isn’t just your hairdresser, she’s your friend,” Irene says. 78