Local residents once visited the little, block building at the corner of Shelby County 39 and 47 in Chelsea to purchase groceries and pick up their mail.

Today they visit to get their hair done and their bodies tanned. Sherry Bailey-Reynolds, owner and stylist at Sherry’s Hair Design, opened the salon in 1992.

“It wasn’t the first salon to open in Chelsea,” Reynolds said, “But it is the oldest one today.”

Older residents recall when the building housed Blackerby’s Grocery and the U.S. Post Office, with a member of the Blackerby family serving as Post Master.

Before this building was constructed, the post office was located in a “real low, dark, closed-in wooden building across the road next to Chesser’s store,” one older citizen recalled. “As I recall, it had tongue and groove, rich pine floors and walls.”

The building was torn down after the post office moved across the road with the grocery store. Later, a new post office was built across the road again.

Renovations were made to the old grocery store during the years, then 17 years ago, Bailey-Reynolds had it renovated for her beauty salon.

A few years later, she added a tanning bed.

Other services offered at Sherry’s Hair Design include perms, cuts, color, foil and highlights.

Bailey-Reynolds, her assistant Jina Dulaney and assistant stylist Heidi Marinberga offer these services to men, women and children by appointment or as walk-ins.

“And we do makeup for special occasions like weddings and proms,” she said. “We can do complete make-overs at the scene.”

The life-long Chelsea resident has been a stylist for 25 years. She worked in Cahaba Heights at Winning Trends for six years, she said, and at J Rols.

Sherry’s Hair Design is open for business at 9 a.m. Tuesday (10 a.m. on Wednesday) through Saturday at noon. Call 678-8700 to check other closing times, or e–mail sherrybaileyreynolds@yahoo.com.