Introducing Jo!

We recently caught up with another one of our wonderful customers. Read her story below!

My name is Jo and I am 16 years old but only in mind, the body has to be ironed everyday to reduce the wrinkles. I am retired but not sure from what as I still work as hard if not harder now retired. I live with my husband and have two grown-up kids. I have lots of hobbies although they tend to take over my life. I make most of my own clothes, my very first sewing machine was a Xmas present from Santa when I was 8 years old, and those I buy I alter or embellish to suit my style. I have an individual style and also do this with my wigs if needed. I also make jewelry, leather handbags (a girl can’t have too many handbags), fabric painting etc or as my sister calls it anything ‘arty farty’ lol. Working with any type of material will keep me busy for hours on end.

I found Valentines Wigs while surfing the net. Valentines popped up so I thought “hey why not have a little look see”… was I glad I did. It was the first time I bought a wig from a company in Britain (I usually get them from America but not any more). What a lovely company, they make you feel apart of an elite community, like family. 

My very first wig was bought 1967/68 (and I’m only only 16 too lol 😉). My hair was shoulder length at the time but there was a Xmas office party coming up and I wanted to look different and with longer hair. So my first wig was bought and it was a total success! A new consumer to the industry was born.

When I think back to the weight of that wig and the modern day wigs, it’s like night and day. Through the years I’ve alternated between my own biological hair and wigs. If there was an important meeting coming up, or I had to travel abroad for my work the hair was always immaculate due to the wigs. The older I got the more I wore a wig for work, it was a time saver and I never had to worry how my hair looked. Near retiring, about 3 to 4 years ago, I never went out the door to work without a beloved wig on. I had come to rely on them so much. But also my lovely thick hair has thinned drastically as the years have gone by. In this country we have a different attitude or outlook to wearing wigs. In other countries it’s not only an item of necessity but a fashion accessory as well.

I have so many favourite wigs, actually they’re all my favourite BUT my very very very favourite is the next one I’m going to buy. Then that one will join the favourite ranks lol! For instance, going out for our daily walk I get all in a quandary as to what delight to wear on my head. Every time I go through them and say to my husband what about this one or this one he cracks up with me as they are all his favourites. He says I look gorgeous in them. What a sook lol.

We’ve done quite good through the lockdown. My husband (Casey Jones) and I (Oily Rag) have built a railroad, or rather are still building a railroad! At the end of last year (not for Xmas) I was wanting to buy my husband a wee treat. We always watched the Model Train competition on TV so I thought why not buy him a train set and from that a railroad was born lol. He does all the technical stuff, electrics, laying the track, lighting, taking care of the rolling stock which gets added to frequently etc. Me, I do the modelling as in building the houses, shops, some railway buildings etc. Between us we do the scenery.

We have also been enjoying our garden so much this year, it’s just wonderful to open the doors and potter about or even better to sit with a nice glass of something and a book in the afternoon. I feel for those who don’t have that facility and have been in a flat all during lockdown.

Through all this we have been keeping in touch with family and friends, if not each day pretty close to it. Just to make sure we’re all still not more doolally than normal. They’re all like us, off the wall, mad as hatters and just love to laugh at everything, especially ourselves! These are challenging times and we should enjoy what we have not what we had. Things change, nothing ever stays the same, so we all have to adapt.

Thank you so much Jo! We’re glad to hear you have been making the most of the lockdown and are in good spirits. Good luck with completing the railroad!