Wigs and hairpieces adorn countless heads in Las Vegas

Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001 | 9:17 a.m.

Behind the counter of Serge's Showgirls Wigs sits a framed copy of a recent Playboy magazine article listing the store as one of the "Top 10 things that make Las Vegas, 'Vegas.' "

"We're No. 7, so we didn't do too bad," owner Steve Serge said, looking at the magazine clip that aligns his "largest wig store" with other Las Vegas oddities, such as the "largest indoor canal," "largest souvenir shop" and "largest indoor theme park."

Serge has more than 10,000 wigs in his three Las Vegas stores. He's been selling wigs in Las Vegas for 22 years and sells nearly 400 of them a week.

A sort of tourist attraction, the store receives calls in the middle of the night from visitors assuming the place, as the city, is open 24 hours.

"'Oh, they're not open,'" Serge said, mimicking the 3 a.m. callers who unknowingly leave messages on the store's answering machine. "I always hear them telling someone in the background."

Because some cities don't have quality wig stores, tourists routinely make treks to his store in Commercial Center, off East Sahara Avenue, he said. Locals also frequent his store regularly.

Yet seven years ago when Serge wanted to expand his business by opening a new store across the parking lot from his discount wig store, the owner of the space was reluctant to rent to him.

" 'Who buys wigs anymore?' " Serge said the owner asked.

Well, the answer lies somewhere in the gray area between anybody and everybody.

Cleopatra wore them. Cher still wears them. Raquel Welch's name brought them to everyday career women. Dolly Parton? She, too, has her own line of wigs.

From the ever-cosmetic ancient Egyptians to anybody's Grandma Mildred sporting a thick set of curls, wigs have passed through time, crowning members of parliament and riding high on runway models.

Forget the heavy wigs of the 1960s and '70s. Today's lightweight, synthetic wigs, capable of bouncing back into their original shapes and curls after a long day's wear, make wig wearing easy and fun.

Just ask Nita Turner, who has bought and worn at least 300 wigs over the past 10 years -- in spite of the fact that she has her own shoulder-length chestnut-colored hair.

"A lot of the time, it's for fun," Turner said, "for when you want to go out and have a different hairdo. I have a blast with them. They all line my closet. I have short ones and ones that go all the way down to my waist."

Really?

"You'd be surprised," said Kim Walker, manager of U.S. Wigs on South Maryland Parkway. "A lot of girls wear them."

"It used to be nobody would wear them," she said. But now, "They want long, pretty hair."

Wide-ranging clientele

While much of Walker's business comes from dancers, cocktail waitress, casino-game dealers and mail orders from out of state, Serge's clientele ranges from the "average housewife" to strippers to women whose hair has fallen out as the result of chemotherapy treatments. (As is the case at most wig stores, discounts are given to Serges' clients who are undergoing chemotherapy.)

"We try to have something for everybody," said Serge, pointing to a golden, swirling pompadour displayed on a mannequin head. "I couldn't resist it."

In Las Vegas it's essential that a wig store carry Elvis wigs, Serge said, adding that he keeps a dozen of the black-haired Elvis hairpieces in stock for impersonators and impersonator "wannabes."

Among the more popular items, however, are clip-on ponytails, which draw a younger crowd.

"We've got the clientele we've never had before," he said, explaining the recent influx of 15- to 20-year-olds who flock to the store. "Those clips are so busy, we call them 'hot clips.' "

Some women buy the ponytails so they don't have to fuss with their hair while on vacation, he said. "One girl came in yesterday because her hair dresser clipped her hair too short."

Hair weaves that can be clipped on to create a full head of flowing hair are also popular. The weaves, made from human hair and prominent in the black community for years, have crossed into other ethnic communities and come in every hair color.

"My biggest fear is someday I'm going to wake up, order some human hair and they're going to say there is no more," Serge said. "Human hair is indestructible. It's probably the only substance that doesn't deteriorate."

It may even be, well, sacred.

Celebrity Signatures International Inc., based in Kansas City, Mo., which handles the Raquel Welch Signature Collection of Wigs and Hair Additions, orders its hair from Buddhist monasteries in India, as do other wig companies.

The hair, called "temple hair," comes from women who shave their heads when they offer themselves into monasteries, said Michael Kleinman, executive vice president of Celebrity Signatures International.

"We buy a lot," he said. "It's wonderful hair because it has a high-protein content."

Temple hair can also be acquired from pilgrims who visit the temple and give the hair to God. The Independent, a London newspaper, reported last year that Sri Venkatsvara, a temple in India, acquires tons of hair every week from visitors.

While India and China are the largest exporters of human hair, the Internet has also become a popular way to buy and sell hair. One website, hairsite.com, posts notices for people selling their own hair. (One seller, a red-haired college student, stated that she needed the extra money for books.)

Yet with all of the available human hair, synthetic hair makes up the majority of 'dos in the wig industry because it is less expensive, lightweight and retains its style well.

"If you get caught in the rain, you don't have to worry about it getting wet," Serge said. "You can just shake it out."

A scientific breakthrough

Synthetic wigs originated in the 1970s, when researchers testing synthetic fibers to weave into carpet came across a fiber that resembled human hair. This revolutionized the hair industry, Serge said.

Although Celebrity Signatures International -- which launched the line of Raquel Welch wigs in 1997 -- manufactures 12 million wigs and hairpieces worldwide, the wig industry is still considered small.

"It's not what you would call a large industry compared to cosmetics, but it has experienced tremendous growth in the past four years," Kleinman said.

"The market was waiting to happen," he said. Wigs and hair extensions were being used on runway models, but had not yet translated to the consumer. Today they're a hot commodity.

Las Vegas, of course, has its own niche market.

"We sell a lot of long hair, a lot of platinum (blond)," Walker said. "The lightest and the wildest. If you go to a strip club, you'll notice all the girls are wearing them."

Kleinman said Las Vegas has always been a good market for wigs.

"Las Vegas is the kind of city that makes you want to do something different," Kleinman said. "When nobody was wearing (wigs), people in Las Vegas were."

New York, Los Angeles and South Florida are also big markets for wigs and hairpieces, he said.

"You notice it more in the major cities. Dallas is a great market. Big hair country, you know."

And Turner, with her 300 wigs, will tell you, "Hair gets a lot of attention."

Kristen Peterson

is an Accent feature writer. Reach her at 259-2317 or kristen@lasvegassun.com.