Family affair
Linda Benson, owner and stylist at Hair Affair at 424 S. Alder St. in Moses Lake, is retiring after 54 years of styling hair, and handing the business over to her granddaughter McKenzie Garza.
Charles H. Featherstone/Columbia Basin Herald
McKenzie Garza, Linda Benson and Abby Garza in front of their business at 424 S. Alder St. in Moses Lake.
McKenzie Garza is taking over as a stylist and hair cutter from her grandmother Linda Benson at Hair Affair in Moses Lake.
Abby Garza now offers massage therapy at Hair Affair in Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE — After 54 years of cutting and styling hair, Linda Benson decided it was time to hang up her shears, her smock and her clippers.
“I got my license in 1969,” said Benson, 73. “I enjoyed working with people, making them look nice, and getting to know them and become their friend.”
Benson, who owns Hair Affair at the corner of Alder Street and Fifth Avenue near downtown said she and her husband will take some time to travel and basically hand the business over to her granddaughter McKenzie Garza, though the actual management of the business will remain in the hands of Nancy Hull, who has worked with Benson for the last 20 years.
“McKenzie didn’t really want all of the responsibilities,” Benson said.
“Not yet,” Garza added.
Garza, 21, finally earned her cosmetology license about a year ago, though she said she was doing makeup and hair for fellow Moses Lake High School students for dances as well as for her dance team and members of the school cheer team even before that.
“I think it’s always been a passion of mine, watching my grandma do it,” McKenzie said. “She loves it and it’s just something that I’ve learned to love. I love making people feel pretty and seeing the smile on their faces after.”
McKenzie has been joined by her sister-in-law Abby Garza, 24, who comes to Hair Affair not as a stylist, but as a certified massage therapist. Abby said she ended up as a massage therapist after starting out in nursing school and deciding she didn’t like it but really wanting some way to use what she learned in nursing school to help people.
“I wanted to be able to help people,” Abby Garza said. “And I like to be able to send people home feeling better than they came to me because that makes me feel good.”
Benson said massage therapy is not something Hair Affair has ever offered before.
“She’s building a steady clientele,” Benson said.
Both Benson and McKenzie said one of the things McKenzie specializes in is dye jobs, especially the magenta, purple, pink and blue colors so many younger people want.
“A lot of her group, they like that purple hair, stuff like that. She does quite a bit of that,” Benson said, adding that she’s also gaining some of her old clients as well.
“She’s diversified, being able to work with the young and the old,” Benson said.
“I like to do a little bit of it all,” McKenzie added.
Both Garzas said there are some very definite advantages to working in a family business.
“I enjoy it. I like working with family because I struggle making friends. I guess working with family is nice because I always have someone to talk to and they’re always there,” McKenzie said. “If I need their help with anything or any questions on anything, they’re just a phone call away.”
“It’s great to have someone that you have a bond with, that’s here to protect you and here to help if I need anything,” Abby added. “It’s been a great journey so far.”
Hair Affair is located at 424 S. Alder St. in Moses Lake and can be reached at 509-765-5987.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.
PULL QUOTE: I like to be able to send people home feeling better than they came to me because that makes me feel good. — McKenzie Garza
