Fort Simpson salon closing its doors – for now

Tannis’s Beauty Salon, one of two salons in Fort Simpson, has closed its doors for the time being following a family emergency.

Tannis Reid, owner of the salon, told Cabin Radio she was sad to be closing after almost four years in operation but wanted to ensure her family can be together.

“This wasn’t my time to stop the business, but sometimes life throws you curveballs and you have to move with it,” she said.

Reid’s husband, Jack, who is a teacher in the area, recently suffered a stroke and is in Ottawa recovering.

Tannis Reid, the owner of Tannis’s Beauty Salon, and her husband, Jack. Photo: Jack Reid

Jack is said to be doing well and undergoing therapeutic sessions to regain his strength, with doctors expecting a full recovery.

Reid said closing the salon meant avoiding having to maintain a business and home in Fort Simpson while being unsure how long the family would have to remain in the south.

She is rejoining her husband in Ottawa for the time being, but wants to return to the North when she is able.

“It’s been an amazing journey. I’ve learned so much because of my interaction with people – about the culture, about people, why things are the way they are. It’s very personal, the work I do,” she said.

Reid said she has been in the industry for almost 50 years and has never been in an area where she has felt more respected by the people in her community.

Fort Simpson has been “enjoyable beyond words,” she said.

“Your clients become your salon family. There’s nothing more interesting in the world. That’s what you learn, where your education comes from is talking to people.

“Our thoughts were to be in the North for a long time. We’ve been kind-of doing this for nine years and it gave us an opportunity to explore a part of our country that ordinarily, we would never have got to do.”

Reid says she and her husband will miss the community in the time ahead.

“There are so many stories, so many laughs, people shared so much with me,” she said.

“Every morning, when you go into the salon, it’d be so warm and cozy and inviting in there that I just couldn’t wait to go in.

“I will definitely miss that warm, cozy feeling.”