Beauty salons are something that most of us take for granted these days. However, the truth is that the whole concept is a relatively new phenomenon.
For thousands of years, women (at least those without servants) took care of their own hair and beauty needs. It was not until the late 1800s that the idea of a beauty salon first came into existence.
In 1888, a lady named Martha Matilda Harper opened what is believed to be the first beauty salon in the U.S. She also invented the reclining shampoo chair and developed her own line of safe shampoos and hair tonics, based on scientific research. The new idea of ladies going to a beauty shop created a big sensation. Harper eventually opened over 500 "Harper Method Salon" shops all over the country as well as multiple "Harper Method" training schools for future beauticians.
Now that you know probably everything you wanted to know about beauty salons, here's the connection to Corpus Christi.
In 1909, in an era during which few women owned their own businesses, Mrs. May D. Riggan opened the city's first beauty shop (the "Ideal Beauty Parlor") on Mesquite Street. The shop was located in the small house that had been the first home of Dr. Arthur Spohn and his new bride, Sarah Kenedy. May had trained at the Marinello School of Beauty in Chicago and incorporated the "Marinello Method" into her own shop. Marinello was a competitor of the "Harper Method" mentioned above. It operated schools across the country from 1905 until its closing in 2016.
In her shop, Mrs. Riggan used a "permanent wave" machine, said to be the first in Texas.
When the Nueces Hotel opened in 1913, it was said that May Riggan and her staff "dressed every head of hair seen at the grand opening".
In the 1910s, Mrs. Riggan moved her salon from Mesquite Street to Chaparral Street. That shop, located where the Nueces Building now stands, was destroyed in the 1919 hurricane. She then opened at 803 N. Chaparral, where she would operate her "Ideal Marinello Beauty Salon" until May 28, 1946.
During her 37 years in business, Mrs. Riggan became a leader in the statewide licensing of beauticians and beauty salons. She helped create the "Texas Association of Accredited Beauty Culturists" to foster the continuing education of beauticians as styles and trends changed. She was the first President of the local chapter, President of the Texas chapter, and the first Southerner in the National Association.
Mrs. Riggan's husband passed away in 1949, and in 1946, May Riggan sold her shop to Miss Gertrude Brown, a beautician who had been with her for 19 years. The shop's name was changed to the "Marinello Beauty Salon". That shop existed until at least 1965.
Mrs. Riggan and her husband had numerous investment properties in the city. They built the Riggan Hotel on Peoples Street in 1928. It was designed by a well-known architect, E.E. Hamon, who later designed Wynn Seale Jr. High. The Riggan Hotel was demolished in 1965.
Riggan Street in the city is named after her family. She and her husband owned the property where the Tracy subdivision was built, and the two of them would personally name many of the streets (Cloyd, Sarita, Tracy, Riggan, etc.).
News of May Riggan's death at age 89 on April 1, 1966, made the front page of the Caller-Times. She and her husband rest side by side in Rose Hill Cemetery. Her death marked the passing of a true professional pioneer in Corpus Christi.
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.
