The Cuttery Closes
Christina Wheeler is closing her Castro Valley hair salon, The Cuttery, and moving to Oregon.
Longtime Castro Valley hairdresser Christina Wheeler is closing up shop here, ready to become a “farrier” in Oregon.
“I’m looking forward to having horses, dairy cattle, and maybe even donkeys,” she told the Forum.
Wheeler, who has run “The Cuttery” on Santa Maria Avenue for nearly 30 years, is taking advantage of California’s booming housing sales market to relocate where her grandparents and family have lived for generations.
“My husband I have decided to go have fun,” says Wheeler. “We’re selling our house in Livermore and buying our dream house with cash outright. We’ve always wanted to live in the mountains, and it will be great to see the change of seasons.”
Customers at The Cuttery have been saddened to see her go. Wheeler says she could have stayed here “for another 100 years” given her loyal customer base, but decided it was a good time for a new adventure.
“My customers are quite upset. A lot of my work has been fixing bad haircuts people have gotten elsewhere. I know I’ve done over one million haircuts by now. I’ve served three or four generations of families here, and Castro Valley has taken very good care of me. It’s been a pleasure serving all these families.”
Wheeler adds that she loves gardening and took care to seek out a good climate for plants. Her new home will be at 1,400 feet above sea level, so she’s expecting to see snow as well.
Wheeler says she began working with hair when she was 11 years old, giving haircuts to her brother. She started her salon career working at The Cuttery and eventually bought the shop. Wheeler lived in Castro Valley herself for 15 years before moving to Livermore.
In addition to her customers, Wheeler said she wants to thank all the employees who worked for her, providing haircuts and related services to the public.
“I’ve had some great people working here, including Jessica, Jasmine, Erica, Jake, Stefanie, and Magillacutty,” she says. “I’m also grateful to Mary and Richard Berkowitz, who employed me here and sold me the business.”
Though the fate of the shop (located at 20405 Santa Maria Avenue) is unknown at this time, Wheeler says it would be a great location for a new salon. She jokingly says that when she gets to Oregon, if she misses cutting hair, she might start a new business in addition to raising animals and call it “Hooves and Hair.”
Although The Cuttery will be closing by press time, anyone who missed saying goodbye to Christina may e-mail her at christinawheeler8@yahoo.com.