Michael’s Hair Designers

By Cindy Ladage

Michael’s Hair Designers is located at 819 North Springfield Street in Virden, Illinois, right on the main drag.  With parking in the back, owner and founder Kristi Royer shared that the business has been operating for almost 40 years since January of  1983.  Back before it was a hair salon and barber shop it was once a grocery store, a feed store, it’s been a garage, and then became a beauty shop!

“I moved here with my ex-husband Michael from Macomb,” she said about her move to the Virden community.

Mike Royer influenced Kristi’s decision to become a hairdresser.  “I guess it was because of Mike.  I went to school after I met him.”

Graduating in 1978 from barber school, Kristi and Mike got married and had two kids. The Royer family ended up in Virden due to friends that lived on Sunset Lake.  After settling here, Kristi said she and her kids all decided to stay in the area. 

Pat Daugherty joined Michael’s 17 years ago.  “Mike got sick, and couldn’t work for a while,” Kristi said.  “So, I brought Pat into work with me.”

Pat is a barber, and while Kristi works on all forms of hair care, she is a barber as well. Together the two offer a wonderful array of services. They offer hair color, cuts, washes, styling, perms, and about anything hair wise anyone can need!

Pat said, “I was in Springfield for two years cutting hair before coming here.”

He got into the hair business after a former employer recommended it!  “I was working as a brick mason’s gopher for Zeke Turner.  He said, ‘Go to trade school to be a barber.  You well be cool in the summer, and warm in the winter.’ So that’s what I did.”

After working for two years as a barber in Springfield, Pat started working at Michael’s with Kristi and the combination worked well and now the two have been working together for almost two decades!  As for Kristi’s ex Mike, he is still doing hair as well.  “My ex has a barber shop in Auburn.”

Both Kristi and Pat’s families are very entrepreneurial.  “My son has a business in Thayer, he owns a seamless gutter business.  My daughter lives in Chatham,” Kristi added.  “I have two grandchildren and a grand baby on the way.”

Pat is engaged and he and his fiancé live in Virden.  They bought a house here in town and are planning on getting married next summer. “I grew up in Girard and Dad had the Grub-N-Pub there.”

Besides the diner, Pat added, “My mom was a purchasing agent here at FNB for years too.”

Kristi grew up in Macomb, Illinois and her parents worked at WIU, Western Illinois University.

People come from all over central Illinois to Michael’s Hair Designers.  “My farthest client came from Decatur,” Kristi said, adding, “I have people from Chatham, Auburn, Waverly, Palmyra and all over.”

Pat added that he even has a group of guys that stop in every year from Alabama.  “They come here for shotgun season and like to come here.”

When asked if they are seeing any trends in hair Kristi said, “Since COVID, long hair is back in guys, and the mullet is big.”

While in the past a curly perm was the popular way to wear the party in the front and business in the back do, these days Kristi and Pat said the new look is straight in back.  The 70’s styles seem to be making a comeback all around.  “A lot of girls are doing long straight hair too,” Kristi added.

Michael’s Hair Designers is a community minded business with roots in Virden.  “We donate a lot to the school and when we are asked to do community projects,” Kristi said.

“I’m in the Masonic Lodge,” Pat added.

Being part of the community is part of who Kristi and Pat are.  “My kids have grown up here.  I’ve been here for 40 years, this is my home,” Kristi said.

Pat said, “I’ve lived in the area my whole life and my family has been in business here for 50 years.”

Kristi and Pat have years of experience providing top notch hair service in the Virden community.  Michael’s Hair Designers is open Tuesday – Friday from 8 – 5, and Saturday from 8 to noon.  They are closed on Sunday and Monday. For information about how to contact them, call Kristi and Pat at 217-965-5454, and you can also reach Pat at his cell phone at 217-502-2209.