201 Sunnyside Street
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Last updated on November 21, 2024
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After the Civil War, formerly enslaved black Americans opened beauty shores and barber shops as businesses for financial stability. The state of Virginia requires licensed school training to open a business. Serval businesses took root in Staunton with black owners. Susie Brent-King of the Staunton-Augusta County African American Research Society gather history of the beautician and barbers in the area and document a school dedicated to the profession. Ruth Smith opened the Abbot’s Beauty School in 1945 at the corner of Caroline and Sunnyside Street. The school operated for one year to train future black business owners in the industry. The school closed its doors due to low enrollment. Ruth Smith continued her career as beautician.
