Over the past five decades popular hairstyles have included a wide variety. People have teased, feathered, permed, bleached, colored or shaved the hair on their head in the name of fashion. Artistry Hairstylists and Day Spa in Minot, along with manager and owner Pete Hugret, have seen the past 50 years of hairstyles come and go.

Back when the salon first opened on Dec. 4, 1964, the salon was located at the Oak Park Shopping Center, Hugret said. They had another salon at Minot Air Force Base, he added. The salon at the Oak Park Shopping Center had to move out during the 1969 flood, but no one collected unemployment during that time, Hugret said. After the flood, they decided to move to higher ground, to the location at 700 Western Avenue, near the Minot Public Library, and have been there since.

During the 2011 flood, there was a dike around the salon, Hugret said, and he was lucky to only have half-inch of ground water in the building. The salon was closed for 31 days, but 12 of the 15 stylists continued working in different chairs in temporary locations.

Hugret and his wife at the time started the salon with four stylists. He cut people’s hair for the first couple of years, but moved over to a managing side, which is where he has been since. Now there are 15 stylists at Artistry Hairstylists and Day Spa.

“I’ve been fortunate to hang on to my stylists,” Hugret said, adding that it’s an industry known for stylists hopping around. One stylist has been there for 40 years, a small group of stylists have been there for 25 years, another group for eight to 10 years and still another group for about five years. “The ones who left have moved or opened up their own salon,” Hugret said. “And you can’t hold it against them if they want to better themselves.”

There are days Hugret doesn’t consider it work since he enjoys it, he said. Every day is something different, he added. “I don’t know where the time has gone,” Hugret said about the 50 years of business. “It doesn’t seem like it has been 50 years.”

Along with changes in hairstyles, there have been other changes over the decades as well. The salon used to have a lot of weekly clients who came in every week at the same time to have their hair washed and set, Hugret said. Instead of weekly clients, now there are clients who come in every four to six weeks for a cut and color, he added.

Artistry was also the first salon not to be located in downtown Minot at the time and the first to be open in the evenings, Hugret said. Women were working so the evenings at the salon became busy after 4 p.m., he added.

Since then, Artistry has added a lot of spa services, Hugret said. “Pedicures are very big,” he added. The salon has also recently added massages. “It’s the way the business has evolved,” Hugret said. “Services once considered luxury are now commonplace.”

Hugret said there are a lot of good salons around, but he has tried to make Artistry be a one-stop place and a destination. The salon not only takes care of hair, but they also carry hair products, jewelry, purses and some clothing.

“We always try to put ourselves in the place of the client and ask how we’d want to be treated,” Hugret said. “I always try to make the person feel welcome and try to solve their problems if they’re having any with the salon.”

Artistry will be holding an open house on the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 4. It will be a low-key event with refreshments and cake, Hugret said.

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944 or Managing Editor Kent Olson at 857-1939. Either can be reached at 1-800-735-3229. You also can send e-mail suggestions to kolson@minotdailynews.com.)