Wheaton salon gives free haircuts for holidays

Demiri Hair Stylists in Wheaton gave its annual holiday present to the community Sunday — free haircuts all day.

Qamil Demiri, one of the salon’s owners, said turnout wasn’t quite as robust as he’d hoped, but he was still pleased with the day. Roughly 50 people received free haircuts Sunday.

“This is our way of giving back during the holiday season,” he said. “With the economy the way it is, we think this is a nice gesture for the community. I was hoping for more people than we got, but it was still a nice day.”

This was the fourth year in a row that the family-owned business has offered the special. The salon opened in the fall of 2007.

The special ran for five hours on a day when the salon is usually closed. Stylists wore Santa hats during the day and tried to give the salon a festive atmosphere. Qamil Demiri said all the employees came to work on a volunteer basis — none were paid.

“They did this out of the generosity of their hearts,” he said.

Demiri Hair Stylists, which normally charges $5 for a haircut, is located at 965 W. Geneva Road.