Wigs With Style

"You can try on as many as you want, and we spend as much time with you picking the right style in your price range," Vickers said. "Cut and style and alterations are all included in the price. We will also clean and steam your wigs."

Hessemer, who has her cosmetology license, cuts and styles the wigs at the store if the customer chooses. There are two salon style chairs and stations in the back of the store.

A Tomball resident for 17 years, Hessemer is a breast cancer survivor, and she worked for a women's health boutique on FM 1960 for eight years before opening the store.

Vickers previously worked as a human resource manager for 17 years and lived in Georgetown. She moved to Tomball two years ago to open Wigs with Style.

"We did a lot of research before opening the store," said Vickers, who has a shaved head and wears a wig for marketing and for the ease of doing her hair. "There's not a lot of full-service wig shops in the area. And we wanted to be in a smaller community. I think being in Tomball has really helped our business grow."

Vickers and Hessemer opened the store primarily to help women with medical issues, and they offer a 10 percent discount for those with a prescription for chemotherapy.

In October, for breast cancer awareness month, Wigs with Style offers a 10 percent discount to any customer wearing pink.

"That's really why we started the business," Hessemer said. "You don't realize the difficulty these ladies go through. Sometimes it's harder to hear you're going to lose your hair than your breasts. It's your identity. It's scary. We try to provide a safe place to go through that. When they leave, people say, 'This was so much easier than I thought.'"

About 60 percent of their customers are women purchasing wigs simply for fashion, Vickers and Hessemer said.

"Ladies like the wigs just for a change of hairstyle," Vickers said. "We have one customer who has two wigs. She just wanted a change. She bought two entirely different styles. She loves them. It's just so easy. She can have a different hair style in a matter of minutes."

The wigs range in price from $130 to $500 each. They have one male customer and are working to bring more men in to the store, they said.

Wigs with Style has many loyal, return customers. And their new customers often hear about their shop from those loyal customers.

"Word of mouth has been great," Vickers said. "People see their friend's wig and it looks so good and so natural and they tell people how we took the time to help them find the right style and color and fit."

Wig party:

Wigs with Style is offering wig parties after hours. One of the parties held there last month was for a woman going through cancer treatment. The woman's employer paid for the party for her and her co-workers. "They all wanted to do something for her," Owner Paula Hessemer said. "Why not get her something she needs, and have fun doing it."

5K run:

Wigs with Style is sponsoring a 5K run and 1-mile family walk in Tomball on Oct. 12 called Sherine's Stride to support breast cancer awareness. 281-351-5484. To register, visit www.tomballtx.gov or www.racesonline.com. The race benefits the breast screening programs of TOMAGWA Healthcare Ministries.

Wigs with Style 409 W. Main St., Tomball, 832-698-4607, www.wigswstyle.com, Hours: Tue.–Thu. 10 a.m.—5 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 10 a.m.—3 p.m.