Alice's House of Beauty owner reflects on long career after Elyria salon closes permanently

ELYRIA — Stepping into Alice's House of Beauty salon at 145 Lake Ave. is like stepping back in time. Old photographs of the women and men who have had their hair done there line the walls, many faded from light exposure over the decades since Alice Crook opened the shop in 1982. Some of the furniture dates back to the 1960s, purchased from another local salon that has long since closed its doors. A calendar sitting on a display case is still open to March 2020 with appointments handwritten on several of the days. That was the last month Crook did a customer's hair. She said Wednesday that Alice's House of Beauty never reopened after the state-mandated COVID-19 shutdown last year due to her concerns about the coronavirus. At age 81, she is worried about the possibility of a bad health outcome if she were to catch the virus. Crook has decided now is the right time to retire and pursue her interests outside of doing hair. But she wanted to make sure her customers knew the shop would not be reopening and that she has appreciated their business. "It's almost the end of the year, and I said it's a shame to be shut down and to have worked all those years and to not say anything," Crook said. "I wanted to thank my customers. They were just so wonderful to me, and I appreciate the community for supporting me all these years." Years before she owned her salon, Crook was already learning new techniques and building a reputation as a skillful cosmetologist in the area. Having moved to Ohio from Louisiana after taking one year of college classes and being asked by her aunt to come north, she began working as a nurse's aide from 3 to 11 p.m. while attending a Cleveland beauty school from 9 a.m. to noon. After 18 months, she and her sister graduated from beauty school and started looking for jobs. One place Crook always dreamed of working at was the former Michael-Angela's Beauty Salon at 567 Broad St., which she passed by all the time. One day, she picked up a newspaper and saw that Angela Di Luciano, half of the namesake of Michael-Angela's, was opening an upscale salon at Midway Mall. She applied and met with Di Luciano for an interview. "After being turned down at all these other shops, I didn't know if I would be lucky or not. But anyway, she was very impressed with me," Crook remembered. "She said, 'You know what, Alice? I'm so excited about our new venture … and you're going to be our chromatologist.' That's the color technician. She taught me all about colors and everything." Years later, Crook worked as a cosmetologist at Ebony Hair Designers, a local shop designed to serve the African-American community. It was there in the early 1980s that a customer mentioned owning the building 145 Lake Ave. and not knowing what to do with it. Crook proposed renting the space from her and opening a beauty shop there. After some discussion and planning, it was a deal. With the help of friends and family, Alice's House of Beauty became a success. At one point, Crook said six people were operating out of the small salon space at the same time. Her son Demetiris worked there for years, as did Utron Crook, her husband of 53 years who died in 2016. Utron helped out around the shop and handled the bookwork, earning the admiration of co-workers and customers. "He enjoyed it. He would go get all my supplies. To the girls, I was Ms. Alice. They would call him Mr. Alice," she said, laughing. The couple purchased the large house that Alice's House of Beauty occupies about six months after opening. Across nearly 40 years, the space would be home to many of Crook's fondest memories. "I got so much joy out of it and I got to meet so many people," Crook said. In retirement, the Elyria resident plans to spend more time gardening — "that's my passion," she said — and enjoying life with her pet toy poodle Coco. Crook also owns multiple rental properties in Elyria that she said will keep her busy. As for the shop, the space won't remain frozen in time forever. Crook said she would like to pass the building down to her son, but if he doesn't want it, she may eventually sell it. Crook is working with a contractor to get a two-bedroom apartment in the back into proper shape so it can be rented out, and an additional one-bedroom rental is also in the house. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.