Crimpers Hair Design

I grew up going to Crimpers (hi Maxene) and besides one weird cut I had when I was 10 that made me look like Alphalpha, I have to say I’ve walked out with a good cut every single time.
Sometimes I wish I still lived in Portland so I’d have a good, reliable (and fun) person to go to who doesn’t charge a million dollars.
btw Maxene’s a hoot to talk to when you’re getting your hair did. She also is good at waxing eyebrows! She did my pre-​prom brows and they honestly looked flawless.

I was getting my hair cut at Crimpers again today and the owner, Maxene, said, «I was cleaning out one of the drawers the other day and guess what I found.»
«The flat-​topper?» I guessed.
«Yeah! You remember that thing?» Okay, let me tell you about the flat topper. It was a gimmick, a joke. A big plastic comb that a haircutter could use to hold a guy’s hair in place while he or she ran the trimmer over it, giving — in theory at least — the perfect symmetrical flattop haircut. The best part was, it had a little bubble level built into it. It was foolproof, as long as the customer had perfect posture.
Me and Crimpers, we’ve been through some shit. We’ve been through the flat top (with a tail!), the Perm-​mullett, the Euro-​mullett, the bright orange home dye recovery program. I’ve outlived two owners.
Fortunately, the place ended up in the very capable hands of Maxene for the last decade or so. She’s been able to get my stick-​straight, cowlicked mess of hair to look presentable on a reliable basis. Funny thing, Maxene’s real specialty isn’t straight hair at all. Much of her clienttele is African-​American. She’s either really good or I’m incredibly lucky.
So I have no real perspective. I haven’t had my hair cut anywhere else in Portland, ever. But if I go to a place every month for more than 20 years and always come out satisfied, how could it not be 5 stars?