In the summer of 1975, Ruth Ann Devenport was a young girl starting her hairstyling career when she rented Petite Beauty Salon in Jonesburg.

Now, she is about to put away her scissors, blowdryers and combs as she plans to retire as hairstylist.

Devenport will spend her last day as owner of Simply Divine Hair Salon on Lion Street in Jonesburg on Dec. 26, wrapping up a 50-year career doing numerous hair appointments and building many relationships with the Montgomery County community.

“The time has flown by,” Devenport said. “It’s been amazing. It’s kind of bittersweet to finally retire. I turned 70 this year and it was kind of time for (my husband) Curt and I to do stuff together like travel. I have a lot of things on my bucket list that I like to do.”

Simply Devine is located at 105 East Lion. Devenport bought the building for the salon in 1989, which was then called Sheer Design. The salon made the change to its current name in 2000.

“In 2000, I learned a lot of stuff from teaching classes and different things, so I decided this salon needed to be revamped,” Devenport said. “So I changed the name to Simply Divine. My thought was that the way I wanted people to feel when they left here was simply divine. So that’s how I came up with that name. I think most people do leave here feeling simply divine.”

With Devenport retiring, Stacy Calbreath and Crystal Gruenefeld will take over duties as hairstylists at Simply Devine. Calbreath started working with Devenport in 2007 and Gruenefeld joined the staff in 2022.

Devenport said Calbreath was an outstanding partner to her when they started working together 19 years ago.

“She was the best thing that ever happened to me because she renewed my love of hairdressing,” Devenport said. “We got along so well and we had so much fun. We did good hair. It was a match made in heaven. It was very, very wonderful that she came along.”

Devenport and Calbreath worked together for 16 years before Gruenefeld joined them as a third hairstylist three years ago.

“She was like the perfect addition,” Devenport said. “She joined us and it was like instant harmony.”

Devenport said it was about a year ago that she shared the news to her colleagues that she was planning to retire.

“I decided that I was ready,” she said. “I still love people and I still love doing hair, but I wanted to do different things now. If I don’t do them now, who knows?” 

Devenport graduated from Montgomery County High School in 1974. After graduating from Mexico School of Cosmetology the following year, Devenport started working at Petite Beauty Salon, where she paid $15 a week for rent.

“It was scary that first year,” said Devenport, who began her hairstyling career in July 1975. “It took me a good two years to build up a clientele where I felt like, ‘OK, I think I can do this and I can have a business.’”

Devenport said she first dreamed about becoming a hairstylist during her early years at MCHS. She loved working on her own hair as well as her aunt’s.

“I think it was the creative part of me,” Devenport said. “I always liked art and painting. There was a creative gene in me. If you put a razor in my hand, I can just sculpt hair. To me, I loved the razor. I can really shape things. Scissors are great too, but I just love a razor. Haircuts are my favorite thing.”

Curt Devenport said he enjoyed being married to a hairstylist. The Devenports have been married since 1982.

“I haven’t had to pay for a haircut for a long time,” Curt said.

Devenport has been working on Fridays only. She works with seven customers.

“I do seven ladies who have been with me for many years, some of them for as long as I’ve been here,” Devenport said. “(Stacy) is going to take over doing their hair on Fridays because they’re called weekly ladies. She did their hair many times when I went on vacation and stuff. So Stacy knows them. It’s kind of like if you’re going to be a doctor and retire, it’s hard to get a new doctor that you trust. Being a hairdresser is more like that. They trust Stacy and they love her and they know that they’re in good hands.”

Simply Devine is the only hair salon in Jonesburg. Devenport said one of the best parts of her 50-year career in hairstyling was working in Jonesburg.

“I am happy that I stayed in Jonesburg,” said Devenport, who is a member of the Jonesburg Historical Society. “I’m so happy that I stayed in this town and was able to have a business for 50 years. I can be proud of that.”