KJIPUKTUK (Halifax) – Meet Mabel Robinson, a 90-year-old hairdressing pioneer, the first woman in Hubbards to run a business, and still styling up a storm.
As a hairdresser Mabel knew things, and thanks to this excellent NFB documentary, now we do too.
“I had customers who wanted their hair tinted, we didn’t call it dyed then, tinted, anyway, they didn’t want to be in the shop with anybody else. They wanted to be alone, because they didn’t want them to see that they were doing it. Men too. Poor Harvey. Oh golly. He used to come in every week. At night.”
This is a lovely documentary, directed by St. Margaret’s Bay resident Teresa MacInnes, an accomplished filmmaker. Kent Nason was behind the camera, and there is some very funny animation by Frank Forrestall. Also, the music is great.
If you want to know more, check out this story by Local Xpress reporter Stephen Cooke, written on the occasion of the doc’s premiere at last year’s Atlantic Film Festival.
“I have no desire to retire. And I keep saying to my son, I can’t do it. As long as I have customers coming I will be working.”
Hey, that sounds like me!
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