Chatters at Woodgrove . . .

[Nostradama]

open for three weeks. In the same "hallway" as Eddie Bauer and almost next door to the drug store and on the same side. Big windows, big store. A huge selection of salon-quality hair products at much lower prices. I'd estimate two-thirds of what I'd pay in a salon. And a can of salon-style hair spray at one-third the price I'd have paid at what was the salon I used to go to. (That ended with a recent haircut from hell--I'm never going back.) Hair and body care products that I've never seen in any store in Nanaimo Really great customer service. Not pushy, but there to help. If you're a nail polish, etc., freak, they have the biggest selection of OPI products I've ever seen anywhere. TONS of Bed Head products I didn't even know existed, including a whole line for men, which I also didn't even know existed, but my friend bought for her husband. Unbelievable novelty soaps that my friend is going back to buy for her stepkids at Christmas. I've never seen soap that looked like that before--just fantastic. In the back, a very spacious uncrowded hair salon. I have an appointment there for Monday, to try to fix the bad haircut. The stylist I talked to was saying to me exactly the things I was thinking about the haircut. And even said to me "XXX cut your hair, didn't he?" Right on the money. So on Monday, which is her day off, she's coming in anyway to help with my hair. It's that bad. The store and salon will be open anyway.

When we got back to my place, my friend told me that there was no way she was letting me get out of there without making an appointment to get this awful hair cut fixed up. It's really, really bad. Hallelujah!

If you're a hair and body care product junkie, I'd highly recommend their product selection, which is huge, and the prices that I don't think anyone in town can even come near.

[Persephone]

I actually just saw it open yesterday for the first time, and I was very impressed. I thought the exact same thing about the nailpolish. First though was, "omg, they just might have the orange thats on my toes"... heh

[Nostradama]

I actually just saw it open yesterday for the first time, and I was very impressed. I thought the exact same thing about the nailpolish. First though was, "omg, they just might have the orange thats on my toes"... heh

So we might have been in the store at the same time. I was that ancient woman walking around with a stunned look on my face, yelping "OMG, they've got xxxxxxxx!"

Their website shows all the brands they carry and links to websites for each of the companies: www.chatters.ca

[Persephone]

heh..... i went back yesterday, and did a walk-through. I think I've died and gone to heaven!

My current products include: bedhead, AG, Paul Mitchell, ISO, KMS, and biologe...... So finding a new place where I will get these cheaper is awesome!

[Nostradama]

heh..... i went back yesterday, and did a walk-through. I think I've died and gone to heaven!

My current products include: bedhead, AG, Paul Mitchell, ISO, KMS, and biologe...... So finding a new place where I will get these cheaper is awesome!

That's really strange, because that's exactly what I kept on saying to my friend, like a kind of mantra--"I think I've died and gone to heaven!" I'll have to tell her someone else had the same reaction. Next time you go, take a look at the soaps kind of in bins just to the left of the check-out area, same counter. I've never seen soaps like those in my entire life of dedicated shopping! Everyone is getting a novelty soap at Christmas this year, as an extra little gift. They are gorgeous and funny and cute.

I'm a KMS person myself, so you can imagine how I felt. What ticks me off is that just a few days before I'd stocked up on KMS at the shop that I'm not going back to. My absolute favourite KMS products are the shampoo and conditioner for colour-treated hair (I have three different shades of highlights, because I'm not going grey, and I actually always wanted to have that gorgeous white, white hair some people get. Not happening. Still the same colour as I was when I was a teen.) And the best KMS product IMHO is the aerosol Silksheen Gloss Spray. It's especially good if you use a straightening iron on your hair. Your hair will never look as shiny and gorgeous as it does with that product.

And I'm such a dedicated OPI junkie that I used to wait for the magazines to come out to see what new colours they had. The only place I could ever find OPI is in that shop almost right across from Chatters, which I think is Regis now, but the selection was pretty limited. And at least for a while a few years ago they had OPI at the London Drugs in Port Place (?) Anyway, Harbour Park.

And my friend and I both picked up 300 ml cans of Joico spray (big!) that were in a big bin at the entrance. Regularly $15.66, down to $9.55. I've never used it before, but my friend says it's fantastic and that the price is, too, so I got some. She bought two. I don't blame her.

But those soaps they've got are just perfect when you feel like you need to buy something for someone, but just can't figure out what to get. I can't even begin to describe them. One looked like a big muffin with floppy strands of chocolate coming out of the top. How'd they do that?

That place is wonderful. Full of big girls' toys.

[Persephone]

Heh... I've never met anyone as INTO these girly products as much as I am. Love it!

I did buy some OPI polish at London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Mart, but the selection is teeny. I think they have about 8 polishes.......

[green_sleeves]

can anyone give me an estimate on what Chatters charges for a short hair cut? Been looking for a decent stylist since moving to Nanaimo 10 years ago and haven't found one yet that can cut fine hair short and have it last longer than 2-3 weeks before it looks horrid!

[Nostradama]

can anyone give me an estimate on what Chatters charges for a short hair cut? Been looking for a decent stylist since moving to Nanaimo 10 years ago and haven't found one yet that can cut fine hair short and have it last longer than 2-3 weeks before it looks horrid!

It's been months since I've posted to this thread, but here she is, I've found her ! Shawna at Liquid Hair Studio, on Thunderbird (sort of in the Meredith Road/hospital/Woodlands school area.) She started with my hair about three months ago, and is fantastic ! I have "difficult" hair (cowlick at forehead, two at the back neckine, a "wave" midway down the back of my head, which apparently can happen as you get older, after a lifetime of stick-straight hair--it's challenging.) I have very fine hair, but fortunately there's a lot of it--thick. Phone number is 250-729-0298.

It's a two-stylist shop, both early-thirty (I'm guessing) Moms, and when you phone, it's most likely they will not answer the phone. Once they're with a client, that's it. You leave a voice mail, and they phone you back. Since they work part-time, it may not be until the next day. They structure their appointments partly around their kids' lives, which is a major plus in my book. Left established shops to work together, and to work this way. So if you have to leave a message, it might be that there's a kids' soccer tournament they're at that day, and good for them for doing that ! If you're older, don't be put off by the fact that they're in their early thirties. I'm old enough to be at least their grandmother, and I get along with them just fine. They're not going to make you feel all "old old"--they're nice people.

I'd been admiring the hair cuts of one of my doctors' nurses for a couple of years, finally asked her, and Shawna is the answer. The nurse gets asked so often that she opened a desk drawer and pulled out Shawna/Liquid's business card and gave it to me. Shawna's the bomb for short hair, where any screw-up is gonna show right away. She doesn't screw up. I've seen her work on this nurse's hair for a good two years, I'd say, and she's never struck out.

Shawna can be a really adventurous colourist, and good, too. The nurse who referred me has had some marvellous colouring. Not sure I have the courage, I'm a little old for some of it, big chicken that I am. But I'm sure that this is what the nurse asked for, she got it, and on her it looks absolutely fantastic.

I'm in with Shawna this week, and I'm gonna do two colours of highlights--platinum (why can't they do a real metallic silver? If it were mostly guys who got highlights, we'd have metallic silver highlights. If we can put a man on the moon and a lander on Mars, how come no metallic highlights, science types? Let's get our priorities straight here! ) And a couple of very narrow deep purple highlights. If my two-time cancer survivor friend nudging eighty whose last cancer battle was twenty years ago has the style and the chic to wear a black semi-Jackie O wig with a dark purple highlight maybe 2" - 3" wide, I can do platinum and dark purple. My hair is just not greying and my hair is actually looking darker and it just doesn't have the "life" it used to, so a couple of purple highlights are barely going to show. I'll start out tiny and maybe work up from there. It's like wearing red real silk underwear--you're the only person who knows, but boy, oh boy, it makes your day!

My appointment isn't for six days and I'll post the price on the basic cut after that.

Comment on Chatters: products are still great, variety is still great, prices are still great. As long as they're there, I'll be there. But the staff turnover makes me ask questions: in three trips there, I never had the same stylist twice. They keep on leaving???

[green_sleeves]

WOW! Thanks for all this information! I live very close by- on Nightingale just across from the hospital! These two sound perfect. I am in my mid 50ies and either get a weird young cut or one that makes me look older. <(
I found one place from asking a woman with a nice cut (Image Plus) on Departure Bay Road and he is really good.....my cut grew in very well. That is the sign of a decent haircut, the way it grows in. But he did my hair yesterday and it isn't as nice this time..
My other hairdresser of 10 years would do an 'okay' job but three weeks later my hair was a fright. The only thing I find I don't like about Image Plus is the guy isn't very personable and it is hard to carry on a conversation with him.
So please post back with the prices for Liquid Hair Studio. Very interested in finding someone who can cut short hair that is wind proof in this windy city LOL! Would be nice to afford some highlights if they don't charge what I spend on groceries for a month!
If these ladies are great- they live just up the street from me!

[Nostradama]

WOW! Thanks for all this information! I live very close by- on Nightingale just across from the hospital! These two sound perfect. I am in my mid 50ies and either get a weird young cut or one that makes me look older. <(
I found one place from asking a woman with a nice cut (Image Plus) on Departure Bay Road and he is really good.....my cut grew in very well. That is the sign of a decent haircut, the way it grows in. But he did my hair yesterday and it isn't as nice this time..
My other hairdresser of 10 years would do an 'okay' job but three weeks later my hair was a fright. The only thing I find I don't like about Image Plus is the guy isn't very personable and it is hard to carry on a conversation with him.
So please post back with the prices for Liquid Hair Studio. Very interested in finding someone who can cut short hair that is wind proof in this windy city LOL! Would be nice to afford some highlights if they don't charge what I spend on groceries for a month!
If these ladies are great- they live just up the street from me!

I was there yesterday, and the basic cut was either $36 and change or $37, etc. Wrote it down, promptly lost it in my jungle of a purse. Also had highlights put in, and forgot to ask, because I also bought two products. I'm PM-ing you with the rest of the information.