PEOPLE
John and Lisa
Weiss are
still going
strong after 40
wonderful years.
Crowning Glory
Inside John Weiss Hair Design
STORY BY Katie Ryalen | PHOTOS BY Kirsten McGoey, Trinity Design
If I had the most gorgeous
gown in the world, and
the most beautiful shoes
and the biggest diamond
you’ve ever seen, and my
hair’s a mess - forget it!
But if your hair’s gorgeous,
and you wear a little black
dress, that’s all you need.”
24 East of the City 2015 | Issue 6
H
ere at East, we’re all about
community. We love seeing
real life examples of creativity,
professionalism, love of arts
and culture, philanthropy, longevity, and
everything else that makes our little corner
of the world special. In the heart of Oshawa,
the Weiss family has been a cornerstone
of the community for over 40 years, and
embody all these qualities that we prize
and more.
With an illustrious career behind him,
John Weiss is still going strong as head of
John Weiss Hair Design. Officially, and
according to its website, the salon specializes
in make-overs and problem hair. Unofficially,
but with great pride, the salon is all about
self-confidence. John, wife Lisa, and their
associates know that a woman’s hair is called
her crowning glory for a reason. Lisa Weiss
explains the concept by saying, “If I had
the most gorgeous gown in the world, and
the most beautiful shoes and the biggest
diamond you’ve ever seen, and my hair’s a
mess—forget it! But if your hair’s gorgeous,
and you wear a little black dress, that’s all
you need.”
She adds, “We understand that the look
is important. It’s about the look and the
pampering. But more than just the look, it’s
John with his son, Ron.
about taking time to understand the client.
People will say, ‘I don’t have much time.
I have small children, I take my kids to
hockey. Give me something I can wash and
wear.’ And that’s what we do.”
In addition to her work at the salon
managing the photography of their
transformations, Lisa is involved in
a number of charitable activities and
organizations. She and John were both
Rotarians, she helped develop the board
of directors for the Ontario Philharmonic,
and sits as a board member for the
Parkwood Estate. Prior to this, she was
with the McLaughlin Gallery for thirtyfive years. Most recently, John Weiss Hair
Design held an open house to show their
appreciation to friends and clients for their
loyal patronage. As part of the event, they
raffled off a $500 gift basket, and donated
the proceeds of $1,000 to the Refuge
Outreach Centre, a haven for teens in need.
The salon also founded and ran for many
years the John Weiss Hair Design Durham
Region Model Search, which launched
the careers of regional hopefuls into the
industry. “We gave them a lot of exposure,”
Lisa says. “Through the model search they
had training with a modeling agency, and
learned how to walk and talk and do the
thing that they do to be famous. When
that’s combined with talent, how can you
miss?” She goes on to say, “But it’s the
same thing we do all the time. It’s our love
of making people feel good. Many times
we see someone come in that’s slumped
and stooped, and they walk out singing and
dancing. That’s what we love about this
business. We’re never tired of it. It’s such a
rewarding, wonderful thing. How can you
get tired of that?”
Being such an icon, and having so much
success early on in his career, John Weiss
was the McLaughlin family’s hairdresser.
He and Lisa both were especially good
friends with Isabel McLaughlin. As Lisa
recalls of her late friend, “We’d go to
Scaramouche [restaurant], and of course, »
East of the City 2015 | Issue 6 25
How’d you get here? And he said, Well, I
hitchhiked and bussed all the way here
through the snow storm just to see you.”
they’d know her. And she’d say to John,
always first, ‘What would you like to drink?’
He’d say he’d like a glass of wine, then she’d
ask me and I would say I’d like a glass of
wine. Then she’d say, ‘I’d like a drink with
a little more authority. I’ll have a double
Martini.’”
Of course, Lisa is quick to point out that
“There was nothing grand about that family.
They were never the type.” Although she
does recall her friend’s sense of humour,
and tells of asking Ms. McLaughlin why her
limousine drivers were always good-looking.
Her response: “Because it says right there
beside my name — if they’re not goodlooking, I don’t want them.”
Interestingly,
hairdressing
wasn’t
something John aspired to as a child (with
the exception of braiding of cows’ tails and
horses’ manes on his family’s farm). His
sister, he explains, had a salon in the area,
and it was there that he first learned the
trade of hair. “When I was in my sister’s
shop,” he says, “I was very popular. People
just sort of gravitated to me. I knew how to
greet people, and make them feel welcome
— I was just very popular. And if you get
enough compliments, you start to think,
26 East of the City 2015 | Issue 6
‘Wow, I must be good at this.’ So I went to
hairdressing school.” It was from there that
he got a job at a high-end salon in Toronto
that had a contract with the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation. “And the rest, as
they say, is history,” he laughs.
Through his connection with CBC, John
has done hair for a number of famous clients
including singer and actress Shirley Harmer,
Robert Goulet, Canadian Olympic medalist
Nancy Green, singer “Our Pet” Juliette
Cavazzi, and Terry Fox.
John had been doing hair at his own
salon in Oshawa, at its former location on
Simcoe Street, for two years when he met
Lisa, a model and stewardess with American
Airlines. According to previous written
accounts, young John was immediately
smitten with the Berlin-raised beauty, and
was singularly intent on becoming a part of
her life.
She shares an early memory of their
courtship. “I remember once we were
snowed in in Buffalo,” she tells. “I called him
and told him I couldn’t meet him. He said,
‘Don’t worry about it, I’m at the airport, but
I’ll just go home. So in the morning, the
crew and everybody got up, and we went
into the dining room to have breakfast, and
there’s John sitting there. And I said, ‘How’d
you get here? And he said, Well, I hitchhiked
and bussed all the way here through the
snow storm just to see you.’”
The Weisses’ marriage has been going
strong for 55 years. It’s a marriage that
produced two talented children, of whom
John and Lisa are both very proud. In fact,
son Ron is an especially celebrated musician
and composer, having written many Italian
concertos and won numerous awards for his
compositions. Yet despite the more lucrative
music career, he’s continued to do hair for
the sheer enjoyment of it.
With a larger-than-life image of a rock star,
and a down-to-earth and humble demeanor,
music has always been a part of Ron’s
life. He recalls his early days at the Royal
Conservatory of Music, saying, “My sister
[Kathy] entered at five, and being two years
younger, I copied all her lessons visually.
So I had all her curriculum memorized by
the time I got there, and they thought they
had some kind of Wunderkind on their
hands.”
He adds, with a self-deprecating note, “I
was groomed to be a concert pianist. But
apparently if you want to do that, you have
to practice.”
In their years at the salon, the Weisses
have established a great rapport with their
clients. Lisa remembers that they used to
pick up children and sit them on the chair to
do their hair. Now those children are grown,
and they’re bringing back their children and
their children’s children. It’s a testament
to the kind of service oriented business
they run. “We’re involved,” she emphasizes.
“When someone loses their hair, we take
them to get a hair piece. When someone
needs help with their wardrobe, I take them
and help them shop. We do everything. We
do everything for people. Our place is a
destination; it’s an experience.”
John Weiss Hair Design
198 King St E, Oshawa
(905) 436-6333
www.johnweisshairdesign.com
East of the City 2015 | Issue 6 27