Celena Phelan: Artistry, Technical Expertise and Heartfelt Client Care at Lodi’s Wig Palace

“Wigs have come a long way…” – Celena Phelan, Lodi entrepreneur

Lodi entrepreneur Celena Phelan, owner of Salon Two Twenty, the Wig Palace and the Academy at Salon Two Twenty, always knew she would become a hair stylist and a businessperson. “I just loved hair and I knew since the eighth grade that this was what I wanted to do. I loved making people look beautiful and helping to build their confidence,” she said.

Twenty-two years later it’s a love that continues to grow as she expands the breadth of her business. In January, as an adjunct to the salon, Celena and her husband, JC, launched a fully credentialed cosmetology school. It was their way of addressing the fact that many cosmetology students are becoming licensed but are not as prepared as they need to be for the real work ahead.
In a move she feels was also predestined, Celena purchased the Wig Palace last fall, after witnessing firsthand how many women struggle with hair loss and thinning hair. “God knew I needed to own this wig store and planted the seed 20 years ago when I worked in a beauty shop,” she recalled. “Over time I got to know Bobbie Stoller, the owner of The Wig Palace, who would often come in to buy hairspray.”

Last year when Celena saw the business was for sale, she had a strong feeling about it and asked her husband to look into it. He found that the Wig Palace was an excellent fit for their values and purpose in the community. “Bobbie was incredibly accommodating to ensure a smooth transition and even stayed on for months, training each person individually and just gifting us with her decades of expertise,” Celena said. “So many things fell perfectly into place. It was definitely more than a coincidence; it was divine intervention.”

Wigs and hair toppers were not something Celena had worked with before, so she and her staff devoted themselves to extensive training to ensure the highest level of service for their customers. “I was actually shocked to learn how much a new style or wig could do for a person, and to see how much it literally changed their lives; the before-and-after photos prove it,” she said. “Now the Wig Palace is my favorite and most fulfilling job of all.”

Celena remembers the day she fitted her first cancer patient for a wig. “It felt very emotional,” she shared. “Laying hands on those special patients is comforting because this is where I am supposed to be. They just want to look and feel normal again. And helping them to address these issues makes you realize how unimportant your problems are.

“Wigs have come a long way from what people might remember,” Celena assured. “They are far more comfortable and there are other options, like toppers, which are clipped on to cover the top of the scalp, or 3/4 wigs that also clip on and are very easy to wear. Whatever your dream style is, a wig or topper makes it possible.” With two favorites she wears frequently, Celina said, “I just love the wigs. I put them on and I’m out the door in 15 minutes. It’s never a bad hair day!”

Celena continued, “Unlike mail-order wigs, here there are no surprises.” Her assistants, Taylor, Lindsey and Rachel, say that when a customer finds the right wig, she knows it instantly. They are trained to custom fit, style and trim the wigs, though often no change is needed at all. Sharing the wisdom of experience, they urge customers, “Don’t just buy any wig; find the one that you cannot leave without. We want you to have many options and for you to find the wig that looks extremely natural and keeps you comfortable in your own skin.”

In addition to providing an extensive inventory, Celena renovated a large back room, creating a luxurious lounge where customers can try on all the wigs and hair enhancers they wish in total privacy. “It’s a little like trying on wedding dresses,” she observed. As Taylor nodded in agreement, Lindsey added, “It’s very sacred what’s going on here. It’s the perfect combination to work together for this shared cause; it’s something we’ve never seen in a salon.”

“When you get to witness a person in your chair and they see, in the mirror, their old self return, the surprise and emotion of it, to get to be part of that, there is nothing better,” Celena confided.

“The work we do here at the Wig Palace has brought a real sense of warmth and helped me to slow down and appreciate life more. My heart needed this.”

Visit the Wig Palace by Two Twenty Hair Co., 320 N. California Street, Lodi, (209) 339-4083; and Salon Two Twenty, 220 S. Church Street, Unit 2, Lodi, (209) 498-7517.