Beloved hairstylist’s chair will be hard to fill

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This article was published 02/03/2022 (1525 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After more than 40 years of welcoming Westman customers to his chair at Vigi Salon & Spa, and thousands of stories exchanged over the course of each day, Vincenzo Sottile has turned in his scissors and comb for a much-needed retirement.

“It was all just so much fun,” Sottile said.

“I enjoyed the whole world. It’s getting into a person’s life and enjoying it. I’ve cut four generations of hair.”

Known as Vince to his former customers and staff, Sottile, now 62, started at the Marvel Beauty School in Winnipeg in 1979. After graduating from the school’s nine-month program in 1980, Sottile opened Vincenzo’s, a hair salon in Brandon, one year later. By 1985, Sottile wanted a change in scenery and turned his sights on Calgary, where he opened Vigi’s, a salon based on the Italian nickname of Vincenzo. However, it didn’t take long before Westman was calling his name.

“I came back here in 1988 because I loved Brandon better.”

Giving Brandon a second chance, Sottile opened Vigi Salon & Spa that year, and he figures he was one of 40 salons and barbershops open at the time in Westman where business was consistent.

In between running the salon, Sottile became involved as a presenter, salesman and educator of hairstyling and hair care products through trade shows across North America. He explained how he was recruited by Marge Hnydiuk, a mentor from Winnipeg who was looking to assemble a team of people who could share their passion for the industry.

“There were a few hundred people that tried out, and they picked six of us, and we travelled the world, teaching.”

Sottile worked for a company called Zotos for 10 years. He would be on the road for about 40 weekends a year, going as far as England and Jamaica, to Chicago, Las Vegas and even Hawaii. Often scheduled as two-day shows or classes, Sottile said he saw parts of the world that many would not have had the chance to see over the course of their nine-to-five job.

“I could be in Minto doing a class for someone, and the next weekend [I’d] be in Toronto,” Sottile said.

“I really enjoyed what I did. Anybody [who] knows me knows that.”

At his former location on 724 10th St., Sottile said he had a solid clientele base right from the beginning. It got to the point where the salon would stop booking walk-in appointments due to the popular demand. Through the years, Vigi Salon would host “cut-a-thons” at Brandon high schools, with staff cutting hair and raising money for safe grads. It all served as time worthwhile for Sottile.

Dawn Dolloff worked at Vigi as a hairstylist for more than 23 years. Now a stylist at Vanish Skin Clinic & Beauty Bar in Brandon, Dolloff said her former boss was an excellent mentor for her in the industry.

“I felt constantly grateful for all the knowledge he had and shared with his staff, he really believed in that,” Dolloff said.

“I felt like it was a family environment.”

Dolloff said the Vigi clientele adored the time Sottile put in for every customer. People enjoyed spending time with him, not only for his hairstyling ability, but for his love of listening to what people had to say, she said.

“I have to thank my chair for teaching me so much,” Sottile said.

Marlene Kirton was one of those many customers who left Sottile’s chair with a smile. For 38 of those years, Kirton said he had a cutting-edge talent that kept people coming back.

“It’s like any business, when you find somebody that gets to know you, and you can go in there and say, ‘I want something awesome, what would you like to do?’ I was that kind of client for him,” Kirton said.

“It didn’t matter where I travelled in the world, people asked where I got my hair done. I told them you need to come to Brandon, Manitoba.”

Kirton, a former business owner in Brandon, said the conversations she had with Sottile enhanced that sense of customer service — a service that has become a dying art in recent times.

“I don’t think it mattered what his customers did, they certainly found lots of deep conversations I’m sure took place in that chair,” Kirton said.

“What Vince did for me and for many, went beyond a haircut.”

Kirton said she would be hard-pressed to replace the camaraderie she had at a new salon.

For Sottile, the decision to retire was a very difficult one to accept.

He recalled a memory of teaching at a beauty school that featured a question-and-answer segment at the end of the day and was asked what his worst day on the job had been.

“I listened to the others and it literally was their worst day,” Sottile said as he laughed.

“When you have a bad or good day, it’s usually going to involve another person. I had a different answer, and my day hadn’t come yet. It was the day I retired on Dec. 23, 2021. I don’t know anybody else that got to go to work and laugh every day.”

A few months into retirement, Sottile said he has enjoyed cooking and planning projects for his house, including garage and basement renovations. Eleven years ago, Sottile found a second chance with his high school sweetheart, Donna Stuber, who he first met when they were both 15. Thirty-five years later, the two started dating again and now live together in Brandon with Bella, their seven-year-old cocker spaniel.

Upon retiring, Sottile recalled words from Hnydiuk, his mentor in the hairstyling industry, and how it changed his ability to serve the people in Brandon.

“She said ‘you are the sum-total of your exposure,’ it’s who you become,” Sottile said.

“I took care of the outside beauty. They were just nice, beautiful people.”

» jbernacki@brandonsun.com

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