In Kenny Rogers’ song, “The Greatest,” a little boy picks up his ball and bat and walks to a field to take some practice swings. First he says to himself, “I am the greatest player there ever was.” Then he tosses the ball up, swings the bat and misses. Again, “I am the greatest,” he throws the ball up, he swings and misses.

For a third time, “I am the greatest player of them all,” the ball goes up, the ball comes down, he swings the bat and he misses. Strike three. With a wide grin he says, “Even I didn’t know I could pitch that good.”

Now that’s some fantastic attitude!

Lolita Kenney has told me many times that “if everything is going wrong, find one right thing” and go for it. Her one right thing after 30 years as a hair stylist was to open The Cutting Edge in the spring of 2015.

Her passion for hairstyling began when she was very young and she begged her father to let her cut his hair. She often asked her teachers if she could comb and style their hair. Finally, when she had completed her professional training she opened her first salon and hired a stylist. But then she became pregnant with her third daughter and decided it was time to be a full-time mother. She actually gave her business, complete with equipment, to the stylist and became a stay-at-home mom. She had another daughter (four altogether) and even home-schooled them for a while. And, during this time, she raised Labrador retrievers and spent her free-time hiking on nearby trails.

As the girls grew older, she re-kindled her passion and worked for a while with Alice Pelletier at Mainely Hair and then Jacqueline Nadeau at Salon Freeport. But, she hadn’t yet found a home. Then one day Lolita walked into the then Michael Taylor Salon on Main Street and began to work with him. Michael had been thinking about selling his salon and moving to Arizona, and the very next day offered Lolita the chance to buy it. She took over and The Cutting Edge, 21 Main St., Freeport, was born 20 years to the day from when she gave up her first salon. In retrospect, she feels that the gift she gave so long ago was paying it forward to today.

Lolita has brought many of her clients with her and works to get new ones by local advertising and referrals from other stylists and salons in the area, who she views as teammates rather than competition. She believes in giving a good cut so that people can style their own hair effectively, and gives them tips on how to accomplish that.

To build her business faster – what she views as her biggest challenge – she reaches out into the community by networking and asking her customers for suggestions. In return, she offers a tranquil and comfortable experience that is both relaxing and refreshing.

When Lolita negotiated the lease for The Cutting Edge, her landlord offered her a one-year option but she boldly asked for a three-year term because she knew she would be around. Lolita Kenney is finally home.

Sande Updegraph recently retired as the executive director of the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce. Her column appears monthly in the Tri-Town Weekly.

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