Bellevue salon closes after 36 years

Hairacy Headquarters – one of the last small hair salons left in downtown Bellevue – closed its doors Tuesday, April 14 after 36 years in business.

The hair salon is one of the last little ramblers left on 108th Avenue Northeast in the busy downtown corridor, said Ted Rice, who co-owned the business with Gary Bussert.

In 1972, the salon, formerly called Headquarters, was across from Safeway on Bellevue Way where the parking garage for J.C. Penney now sits.

In 1981, Rice and Bussert moved locations to 141 108th Avenue Northeast, where another salon called Hairacy had operated out of a 1947 rambler.

The owners combined the two names – Hairacy Headquarters.

“We’ve probably cut everybody’s hair at one time in Bellevue,” Bussert said, noting regulars such as Bellevue Councilman Don Davidson and Phil Nudelman, former CEO of Group Health.

Bellevue is changing, he said, and there aren’t many ramblers left that house small businesses.

Due to high lease rates, the owners couldn’t afford to stay in downtown Bellevue. They looked around for another spot, but were unsuccessful and so the business must go.

“It loses a lot of character because what happens is a lot of the smaller businesses that were in these houses now have to go to the high rises and take up the bottom retail spot,” Bussert added.

Rice has moved on as sole proprietor of the Sheer Energy salon in the Bellevue Hilton; Bussert and four Hairacy Headquarters stylists have gone on to the Deyss Salon and Spa located on the second floor of the 989 Building.

“On one hand I’m excited about starting anew,” Rice said of Sheer Energy. “On the other hand it’s a little bit sad locking this door for the last time.”

Carrie Wood can be reached at cwood@reporternewspapers.com or 425-453-4290.