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Gorgeous 25 S. Main Street in Monroe Falls, OH http://www.gorgeousweb.com/ Hours: Not known According to our best information Gorgeous is out of business as a store front but that transformation services, makeup etc., may be available from the owners on another basis. Please check the website above for more information. Diane
EMANCIPATION TRANSFORMATION Elaine Suede: I recently received this nice note from Sheila telling of her experience at a new transformation salon - GORGEOUS - located right here in North East Ohio. LAST FRIDAY, my make-up work was completed by Denise Russell (a professional female impersonator) at a new transformation salon located at 25 S. Main Street in Monroe Falls, OH - adjacent to Stow and Cuyahoga Falls. This is an "uptown" boutique complete with a lovely, albeit, small selection of clothing, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, wigs, lashes... and a few other things I'm sure I missed. It's the kind of place you would expect to find in downtown New York City or Chicago. It's owned by David (Farah) who get a big assist from Dennis (Denise Russell). Both are professional female illusionists, very thoughtful and kind and in business to serve people like us. I'm good at reading people and this pair is genuine. Their price to do my make-up work was $30. It was the most stunning transformation I've had to date. I also bought a new wig (dark with some red) for $21.99. They gave me a bottle of nail polish and a two rings. Read: No charge. So for $51.00 Sheila left their shop as a brunette (for the first time) in a new Liz Claiborne summer suit feeling like a million bucks. The business is called "Gorgeous," it is in a lovely neighborhood. Absolutely secure, safe and friendly. "Gorgeous" shares its quarters in a building owned by Kremer Realty (whose owner shops there regularly for her agents) and a beauty salon. Enter the main door and you are confronted with three more in the foyer. Choose the door on the far right with the Gorgeous sign and you're in business. You will be treated with the utmost attention to detail and like the human being you are. No giggles here. Business at Gorgeous is all about helping us become the best looking females we can possibly be. Elaine, you might be interested in knowing that Denise Russell is tall (like you) and lives life dressed as a man. But in a matter of less than 30-minutes she becomes an extremely attractive and talented performer who sings in her own voice. No lip-synching here. She also knows how to remove the male aspects of our faces in favor of the softer female side. Years of performing as a "drag queen" have yielded more than a few make-up tricks. To me this is exciting. There is no other business like this in the state of Ohio. To find a salon like this you would have to travel to East or West coast, Chicago or South Beach. That makes Gorgeous newsworthy in my opinion. Others will share a different view, but I am thrilled to have such a wonderful new resource available to us at fair prices. Both Dennis and David told me they have grown weary of watching our group being "gouged" at every turn. The purveyors of wigs in our area are marking up their prices in the 300 to 500% range, according to them. "We don't and won't do that," they said. If you get a chance you should take a couple of hours and drive up to Monroe Falls. My strongest feeling is that you will find the owners to be a delightful pair, and their services to be above the standards we had previously set for ourselves. Your friend, Sheila
A GORGEOUS ADVENTURE Gloria and Margaret's excellent adventure. At our last meeting we discussed Sheila’s newsletter article about Gorgeous, a new boutique that she had been to. And, as it turned out, Penny had also visited Gorgeous that very day. After a little more talk, Diane B., Elaine S., Margaret, Penny and I had set a tentative date to go to Gorgeous two weeks later. As the day arrived, Diane B. and Elaine S. had things come up so they could not go. Also, I did not hear from Penny, so I figured that work had tied her up. On the Saturday a call from Margaret and some strong encouragement from Kathy got me heading on my way to meet Margaret, and go to Gorgeous. We found the place fairly easily, but the door was locked. As we were wondering about that, we happened to spot someone working in another section of the building. A moment later we entered Gorgeous. Farah, one of the proprietors of Gorgeous, had been the one working in the other part of the building. As we were told, business was doing well, and the store was moving next door to a larger space. We talked for a few minutes about how Sheila and Penny had recommended the boutique and how a reasonably priced place to buy things in comfort and safety was very welcomed. After that, though, it was down to serious stuff. This old blonde needed new hair. I picked out my first wig to try on, put it on, and began fussing with it. As Margaret saw me playing with my hair, I heard her laugh. I guess I probably looked funny, but after a moment I saw my image in the mirror, and I was smiling from ear to ear. My hair was suddenly a little straighter than usual, and a couple shades lighter in color. But there was no doubt about it. I had a new hairdo. After trying on some other hair pieces, I even found another hairdo that Farah, Margaret, and I liked. Then it was Margaret’s turn for new hair. I had to smile as I saw Margaret fussing with her hair, as I had. By the time we were done shopping an hour-and-a-half later, I had two new hairdo’s, a new ring, and a brand new pair of long, dangly, silver pierced earrings, all for under $100.00. Farah was wonderful and when I asked if she would like to do a program about Gorgeous for one of our meetings, she said she would be happy to. Margaret and I had a great visit, and a great shopping experience. I most definitely will be going back to Gorgeous. Gloria
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