Everyday people: Ardelle, stylists: 70 years ‘behind the chair’

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Hairstylist reflects at 90: Clients are like family

When Ardelle Phillips first opened Ardelle’s, her salon in downtown Astoria at the age of 20, she was certain of only one thing: she wanted to do hair.

“I had wanted to be a hair dresser since early childhood,” Phillips said. “I looked up to my Aunt Dorothy. She was in the profession and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

It 1956, and the Astoria beauty scene looked different than it does today. Many stylists still relied on giving their clients pin curls and traditional sets. After graduating from Bernard’s Beauty College in Longview, Washington, Phillips arrived with razors, rollers and fresh techniques she was eager to try out.

“I was really the first hairdresser in town who styled the hair in a modern way,” she said. “I used newer techniques and tools. It was something people hadn’t really seen here.”

She also offered custom men’s scissors cuts at a time when most men visited barbers who used clippers.

From the beginning, her salon was a family effort. Phillips’ father helped design the shop and built the shampoo and styling station by hand. Those original fixtures remain in use today — a quiet reminder of the foundation beneath the business.

Over seven decades, Phillips’ salon has remained on the same block in downtown Astoria, even as the storefronts around her changed hands time and again.

She first opened upstairs in the space now known as the McTavish Room in the Liberty Theatre. Later, she moved to a location now occupied by the Northwest Lending Group, where she stayed for 17 years before relocating next door to the salon’s current space —1235 Commercial St., where it has operated the longest.

“Both the salon and downtown have changed tremendously,” Phillips said. “I’ve watched so many businesses come and go over the years.”

What kept her doors open was a refusal to stand still.

Phillips constantly looked for new ways to draw customers. She opened a clothing boutique in the salon’s basement that featured high-quality suedes, furs and embellishment pieces popular at the time. The boutique became a destination of its own.

“It was a major draw,” she said. “People would come in for clothes and then book appointments.” The boutique remains part of Ardelle’s today.

To her knowledge, Ardelle said she was also the first salon owner on the North Coast to install tanning beds. Over the years, she expanded services to include estheticians offering hair removal, nail technicians and even toning tables (motorized, passive exercise tables) in the basement.

“I always tried to be a leader in the industry by offering new things,” Philips said. “I wanted people to keep coming back.”

She credits continuing education for much of her longevity. Phillips regularly attended hair shows, studied emerging trends and embraced new tools as styles evolved from bouffants to layered cuts and beyond.

“I would go to hair shows, learn new techniques and try new tools, “ she said. “You have to evolve. You can’t stay the same in this business.”

In the early years, Phillips worked six days a week, building her client base by word of mouth. Over time, customers became close friends. Some families have filled her chairs for multiple generations.

“Many of those clients turned into great friends,” she said. “Seeing mothers, daughters and even grandchildren come in — that’s very special.”

Phillips never seriously considered closing the salon but she retired from doing hair at 62, keeping a hand in the business by handling the books for years afterward. When the stylists transitioned from working as employees to becoming independent contractors, the shift eased the business responsibilities.

Phillips daughter, Kimberly Lund, followed in her footsteps, joining the salon after graduating from beauty school. Lund has now worked there for 46 years.

“That has definitely kept me going,” Phillips said.

The salon’s longevity is also reflected in the loyalty of its staff. Cindy Rudolfi has worked there for 40 years. Irene Ferguson has been there for 38.

“I love them very much,” Phillips said. “They’ve become family.”

Now 90, Phillips still feels connected to the business she built as a young woman with a pair of scissors and a vision.

“It has meant so much to me,” she said. “I am deeply grateful for the loyalty of both my clients and employees.”

More than anything, she said, she is thankful for her health — the steady hands and clear mind that allowed her to stay involved for decades.

As downtown Astoria continues to evolve, Phillips’ salon stands as one of the block’s longest-running fixtures — a testament to adaptation, relationships and a lifelong passion that began in childhood and never faded.

“I’ve always loved what I do,” she said. “That makes all the difference.”