New salon adds to hairstyle choices in Charles City

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Latrice Saunders said she wants you to look good and feel good.

A sharp and attractive hairstyle can do that for a person.

That’s one of the reasons Saunders opened up The Go Styles at 607 Beck St. in Charles City in early April.

“What I feel like The Go Styles brings to Charles City is a piece of feeling at home,” said Saunders. “When you’re able to get your hair done, you feel more at home.”

Saunders, who moved from Chicago to Iowa 14 years ago, said she specializes in ethnic hairstyles. Whether it be braids, dreads, a fade or any other style that her clientele may request, Saunders can accommodate it.

“I’m trying to get all the community served,” she said.

Saunders says she knows a lot of people who live in Charles City who sometimes have to travel a  distance to get their hair done the way they want it.

“You live here. You work here. Why wouldn’t you be able to get your hair done here?” asked Saunders. “When you have curly hair, you can’t just go get your hair done anywhere.”

Saunders said she has been cutting and styling hair since the first grade. It’s something she learned how to do growing up in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood of the Near North Side of Chicago.

“I do different work. I do artistic stuff. That’s something that my mind does. Everybody don’t think the same,” said Saunders.

Saunders said she came up with the name of her salon after one of the nicknames for Chicago — “The Go.”

She said she can work on anyone’s hair, young or old.

“You’ve got to have a skill for it. If you don’t have a skill for it, you have to go where you’re able to get your hair done,” she said.

Saunders said she is all about keeping hair vibrant and well-conditioned — not to mention making sure people will notice her work as customers walk down the street.

“I know how I feel about my hair. My hair is the most important thing to my image,” said Saunders. “I believe in healthy hair. Some people, they’ll style your hair and it will be too tight and make it fall out.

“I believe in growth and natural products, stuff that’s going to actually put some nutrients in your hair, not just clogging it up and putting a whole lot of product.”

Saunders received her license to style and cut hair from CDH (College of Hair Design) in Waterloo in 2014. She doesn’t have set hours right now for her business but does schedule appointments.

Saunders resides in nearby Alta Vista, where she lives with her 14-year old daughter, Orreonni, and 12-year old son, Olandreon. Her oldest son, Areon Day, is a former state champion wrestler who competed at New Hampton High School last year. He is currently enrolled at Loras College in Dubuque and wrestles for the Duhawks.

Dubuque is where Saunders and her family first moved to after leaving Chicago. She said Areon was just about to enter kindergarten when she decided to leave one of Chicago’s rougher neighborhoods to make a better life for herself.

“It’s a part of us,” said Saunders. “To come from Cabrini-Green to, you know, being who I am today. To go from that to come here, that’s a big part of progress to me.”

One of the best things that Latrice likes about Iowa is that she doesn’t have to worry as much about her safety or her family’s safety.

“The biggest fear that I have for you out here is hitting a deer. We was dodging bullets and stuff daily,” Latrice said she remembers telling her oldest son about Chicago. “I’m always going to have Cabrini memories. That helps you teach your child, because you’ve been to the worst.”