By William Smith
Kathi Cline is an original.
When she began her wig shop, Today’s Modern Hair Option, there was no other shop like it in Burlington — there still isn’t.
Cline also helped found the annual Des Moines County Relay for Life 20 years ago. She lost a sister to cancer a few years before that and lost an aunt shortly before she began volunteering.
“I was one of the original people planning it. We used to have it at Bracewell Stadium,” Cline said.
Despite her connection to cancer and the help she has provided countless patients going through chemotherapy, that’s not what initially drew Kline to the wig business.
It was her passion for styling hair. Just not the kind of hair she first imagined.
“I wasn’t planning on doing this for the rest of my life,” Cline said.
But what started as a job became a career. She can’t imagine doing anything else.
“I really enjoy what I do,” Cline said.
Quest to be a stylist
A native of the Gladstone, Ill., area, Cline worked for a factory after high school. But she had a knack for designing clothes and styling hair.
After a few years of factory work, Cline moved to California and attended beauty school. She only needed 1,600 hours to qualify for the test to become a licensed cosmetologist in California, and she would have needed 2,100 hours in Iowa.
But the tests were only administered twice a year, and Cline had to wait five months after finishing her hours.
She was living by herself and needed to work. So she applied to a beauty supply company.
Wigs were part of the company’s beauty supply line, and they were all made of human hair back then.
She had purchased a wig before applying for the job, to practice on. She had waist-length hair, and the short wig (they were all short back then) allowed Cline to practice cutting bangs.
Cline got the job and started holding wig parties to sell the product. Wigs were ubiquitous then — so common that you could buy them with your groceries at Hy-Vee for $5, Cline said.
Synthetic wigs changed the game, extending the variety and styles available. Wigs made of real hair quickly became an outdated niche.
Sewing turbans
Cline opened her wig shop in 1970 — the same year her second son was born. She moved to several downtown locations over the years, and her children helped in the shop in their younger years.
Cline eventually expanded and hired her own employees.
“They (Cline’s children) didn’t want to be in the wig shop working for Mom,” Cline said with a laugh.
Cline expanded her business into turbans, which were becoming a popular alternative for cancer patients who didn’t want to wear wigs all the time. Cline’s hand-sewn turbans were far sturdier than many of the options on the market. She grew up with a sewing machine in the house.
“We were used to hand-me-downs and clothing people gave us,” Cline said.
Cline said her family endured two fires as she was growing up, which accounted for much of the donated clothing. She grew up with 10 siblings — seven more girls and three boys.
“I would take those clothes apart and make other clothes,” Cline said. “What I really wanted to do was be a designer.”
The turbans were a hit. It was just a matter of finding the customers.
“We didn’t have an oncology doctor here when I first started, but we had a doctor in Iowa City. He would come down here because there were no turbans available at the time,” she said.
Traveling turbans
Cline connected to her sales rep at Eva Gabor (which still supplies Cline with wigs today) and took the turban idea nationwide.
“He had the whole eastern US, like New Jersey, all the way the way across to Minnesota and across that territory,” Cline said. “I probably had six girls working for me sewing wigs or sewing the turbans.”
That sales rep ended up with another wig company in Florida, but he kept selling Cline’s turbans.
“He got canned because he was selling my turbans while he was supposed to be selling their product,” Cline said.
Hair options
Alopecia. Cancer. Male pattern baldness.
For many of Cline’s customers, the need for a wig can be very personal and private.
“I keep card files on everybody and ship them their wig,” she said.
Most of those customers are women (Cline has about 10 male clients), and the first fitting session can last up to three hours.
“I want them to be able to put it on correctly, by themselves, before they leave here,” she said.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Modern wigs, ranging in price from $50 to over $350, have a simulated scalp.
There is mesh netting underneath, though the higher-quality wigs tend to be much lighter.
Then there are the ear tabs, which pull down the wig. Tucking them back under the wig can be a real pain if you don’t know how to do it correctly.
Cline has off-the-rack options as well, good for a night on the town, or a change of style. Many women with thinning hair are starting to favor hair clip-style wigs that thicken the appearance of their natural hair.
“A lot of women have female pattern baldness. So it’s just a variety of everything,” Cline said.
Between her work with Relay for Life and her job helping others feel good about themselves, Cline is a vital asset to many local lives. She doesn’t take the responsibility lightly.
“I would like to retire. But I don’t want to leave my customers because they come from all over,” Cline said.