West Bend, Wi – For generations of West Bend, Wi, residents, a trip to Barb Justman’s salon BJ & Company, 446 S Main Street meant more than a haircut. It was a place of conversation, friendship, laughter, and a familiar face who seemed to know everyone in town.
Now, after spending nearly her entire career in the same building, Justman is preparing to close a remarkable chapter.
“I’ve been in the building since 1963, but I’ve owned it since ’79,” said Justman as she looked around the salon she affectionately calls “my baby.”
A sale of the property is underway, and the longtime commercial building is expected to return to residential use. While the transition makes financial sense, the emotional side has been much harder.
“Terrible,” she said when asked how it feels to see the building change hands. “That’s my whole life. This is my baby. That’s why it’s so sad to say goodbye to it.”
The decision to sell came after a series of challenges, including repairs needed after last year’s heavy rains.
“The whole thing kind of started only because of that rainstorm we had last August 2025 and I had to take care of my driveway,” she said. The storm, Justman said, washed out her driveway and parking in the alley behind her business. The repair was extremely costly and Justman failed to get any financial aid.
With financial issues and some health concerns, Justman made the difficult decision to be out of the building by the end of June, with an estate sale planned afterward.
For someone who has spent decades helping others look their best, retirement is still a difficult word.
“I’m just going to miss the people,” she said.
Her clients feel the same.
“Most of them are just wishing me well and asking where they can go,” she said. “And they say, ‘It’s about time.'”
Longtime friend Bob Bonenfant has had Justman’s smiling face on many of his bus tours. He said, Barb was so busy she never even had time to read.
“Barb was forever busy at the salon. How busy? When she came on our gambling buses to upper Michigan, she brought along year-old Daily News and copies of the Kewaskum Statesman to catch up on her reading. We all got a kick out of that. It was like two bags of papers,” said Bonenfant. “Kind of hard to believe there will no longer be a BJ & Company at that location. Barb has a good heart and knows tons of folks in the community and as much as I know she’ll miss the social interaction, she deserves to enjoy some downtime.”
The salon has weathered plenty over the decades, including a fire that temporarily relocated her business to the Little Red House in 2009.
“The fire, I suppose,” she said when asked about the most memorable moments. “And then looking at my parking lot go down the alleyway.”
Still, the good memories far outweigh the bad.
“I have many, many good days,” she said.
Those good days included serving generations of families and becoming known for specialties that few stylists still offer. Justman believes she may be the only stylist in town still performing razor cuts and perms.
“I love to do razor cuts,” she said. “To me, the hair moves better and it just folds in and it does what it’s supposed to do naturally.”
She smiled when discussing her reputation for perms.
“I’ve already had calls saying, ‘I heard you’re the only one in town that does it.'”
When asked how that makes her feel, her answer was immediate.
“Special.”
Throughout her career, Justman often found herself ahead of industry trends. Long before eyelash extensions, cold-capping treatments, and wellness-focused beauty services became mainstream, she was exploring similar concepts.
“I used to do individual eyelashes. I used to do body wraps. I used to do artificial nails and stuff,” she said. “A lot of things come around again.”
Her influence extended beyond the salon. Through the Look Good Feel Better program and her volunteer work with Small Stones at the hospital, she helped cancer patients navigate hair loss, wigs, and head shavings.
“I go there once a week, do head shaves or haircuts or show people wigs,” she said.
At one point, Justman’s business empire stretched well beyond the South Main Street location. She operated a second salon downtown and employed dozens of stylists.
“At one time I had 24 girls working for me,” she said. “I had two salons.”
Over the years, she served many well-known local residents, including what she jokingly described as some of the “godmothers of the community.”
Nancy Mehring has served on the chamber with Justman. “We will certainly miss BJ’s Salon in West Bend,” she said. “As most of Barb’s customers will say, she has been a friend as well as a hair dresser to all. Barbara Justman is a special lady and we’ll continue seeing her as a Chamber Ambassador where we’d volunteer together and try to stay out of trouble. Giggles will continue tho… Wishing Barb the BEST, she’s earned the rest.”
The building itself carries a rich history. Justman said there have only been four owners of the beauty shop business operating there over the decades, a rare distinction for a structure dating back to the 1930s. Hidden within its walls is even a time capsule she installed following the fire.
As retirement approaches, Justman may still have opportunities to work occasionally. However, ongoing back issues have made the physical demands of hairstyling increasingly difficult.
Today, she relies on help from trusted coworkers to assist with some clients.
“It was kind of hard for me to look down to do all this,” she said after a long day in the salon.
Even so, she remains grateful.
“I appreciate it so much,” she told a longtime client during a recent appointment.
Friday, June 26 will be her last day with an estate sale slated for July 9-11.
For many in West Bend, Barb Justman has been a constant presence through changing hairstyles, changing fashions, and changing generations. Her chair has been a place where life stories were shared, friendships formed, and community connections strengthened.
Soon, the familiar salon on South Main Street will become part of history. But the impact Justman made on thousands of clients over more than six decades will remain woven in the fabric of West Bend.
On a side note: The blank space below the BJ & Company sign used to say “Guns for Sale.” There was another tenant in the building that sold guns. That was a long time ago, according to Justman. During the 100th Harley-Davidson anniversary the road outside her shop was full of motorcycles as bikers stopped to explore the gun shop and instead found BJ’s salon.
