Building the Valley: Family atmosphere key to success at Tarentum's Magic Shears Styling Salon

Since opening in 1988, Magic Shears Styling Salon in Tarentum has been like home to clients from the Alle-Kiski Valley.

That’s because through 35 years of owning the business, the Altfather/DeVita family has treated clients as family members. And it’s that menality that has kept the doors revolving.

It helps that, for generations, the family has viewed the salon as a second home themselves.

Marie Altfather first operated the salon after purchasing it from a previous owener.

“I had a playpen down here for my kids,” said Carrie DeVita, Marie’s daughter and owner of the salon since 2020.

DeVita’s daughter, Darian, 20, remembers those times vividly.

“This was my second home for sure until I was able to stay home by myself,” she said.

In fact, Magic Shears eventually cordoned off a kids’ corner in the salon where children can play and be themselves while waiting in the salon.

“I have a lot of kids that I do,” DeVita said. “I have a chalkboard, some games and coloring books.”

At 13, DeVita found herself fascinated with doing hair after seeing her mother work as a hair stylist for so long.

“I wanted to be like her,” DeVita said.

DeVita decided to attend beauty school and began working in the hair salon at JCPenney.

Eventually, she began working at her mother’s salon, and her devoted clientele followed her. She also inherited her mother’s clientele when an injury kept Marie from working.

“I came to work for her in ’94,” DeVita said. “We worked together, and then she had hurt her back. So I have been pretty much here by myself for quite a while.”

In 2020, Marie died, and Devita took over ownership of the salon. To keep Marie’s memory alive, DeVita decided to keep the salon’s style and vibe the same.

“I don’t want to change anything,” she said. “It’s worked, so don’t mess with it.”

Magic Shears is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays. The salon also is open one or two Tuesdays a month.

Antoinette Lipniskis, 60, a 30-year client of Magic Shears, first met DeVita at the JCPenney salon.

“It’s more like going to visit friends,” she said of her appointments with DeVita.

Lipniskis said she trusts DeVita to style, color and highlight her short pixie cut.

“She gives you her honest opinion,” Lipniskis said.

DeVita’s list of clients includes multiple generations of many families.

“She’s done some kids since they were little,” said Walter Altfather, Carrie’s father. “Now they’re grown up and out of college even.”

From haircuts to color to trims, clients come to the salon because of the quality time between family and friends.

“It’s like the movie ‘Steel Magnolias,’ ” DeVita said. “I mean, people have gotten reunited with other customers, and they want to be scheduled on the same day as them.”

Magic Shears Styling Salon is at 315 Worth St. in Tarentum. Customers can call 724-224-8111 for appointments.