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By Mike Barnhardt
Enterprise Record

There’s no place like home.
For Kae and Alex Stockton, that “home” is where the mother and son live and work – land that has been in the family for generations.
There’s no doubt that Samuel and Sarah Bailey Jr. had no idea that the plantation they purchased in 1775 to raise crops and animals would one day house Gemini Hair and Nail Fashions.
But it does.
Kae Stockton knew by the early 1960s that she wanted to be a hairdresser.
“I had a passion for it,” she said. It helped that an aunt and uncle owned a shop in Lexington, where she would sometimes “hang out” as a child. “I loved the smell of perms,” Kae said.
She earned her license in 1963 from National Academy in Winston-
Salem, and she quickly became known as one of the best hairdressers around.
“I used to compete in hair shows. They sent me all over. I just loved to design hair.”
She was working in Winston-Salem and had a solid clientele when Alex was born. Kae decided she wanted to come back home.
So she opened Gemini in an old building on the family property on NC 801 South.
“I started by myself and I was scared to death,” Kae said. “I borrowed $10,000 and we moved out here.”
Her customers in Winston-Salem told her she wouldn’t make it, that it was too rural and too far away. But many of them followed her to Advance, including President Gerald Ford’s daughter in law. “Betty Ford had found me on TV and she wanted me to do Gail’s hair.”
Let Kae tell you the story of the time that Betty Ford was in Winston-Salem, and was ready to fly on the Presidential helicopter to Advance to get her hair styled by Kae Stockton.
It never happened. Kae was out of town.
Kae quickly started adding other hairstylists, first Shirley Markland and then Jane Jones, who has been at the shop for 39 years.
Gemini has spots for 10 hairstylists, nine of which are occupied. Each rents a booth and sets their own hours. Kae tries to direct call ins to the stylist who best fits the caller’s needs.
There’s a nail technician and esthetetician, and products for sale.
Alex came on board in 2008, and no, he doesn’t style hair.
Kae was ready to relieve herself of some of the office duties required for a business with that many hairstylists, and Alex was getting tired of driving to Reidsville for a 12-hour shift at RJR after earning a business degree from NC State Univeristy.
He was cutting wood on the family land. “I got down on my knees and asked the Lord for help,” Alex said. He was now the manager at Gemini.
“There is no normal here,” Alex said. The building has been added on to four times, so plumbing and electrical problems are somewhat common. “The challenging part is you’ve got 14 sinks and you never know when you’ll have a leak. You can’t cut hair without water.”
He’s been called because water was dripping from the ceiling (Some water pipes are overhead, some under the floor.). And ask him about the time that a tampon holder almost cost the business more than $10,000 because of a clogged sewer line.
Kae has seen the hairstyles come and go. Her favorite was the shag. Customers used to bring in Farrah Fawcett pictures and say they wanted their hair to look like that. Now, the photos are more likely to be of Meg Ryan.
“We’re very family oriented and there’s no jealousy here,” Kae said. “That’s difficult to find in a big salon.”
They’re unabashedly Christian, and Kae calls Jane Jones the shop evangelist. She tries to live by Proverbs 3, 5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all you hear and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways ssubmit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
“We tell them (stylists) to make it their home,” Kae said.
“They’re always laughing and cutting up,” Alex said. “They’re big on parties.”
And the customers often bring food in, not only for their particular stylist, but for everyone in the shop.
Kae lives next door to Gemini. Alex lives just a bit further south on NC 801.
Over the years, Kae has heard quite a few stories. After all, those in her profession do more than style hair. They’re psychiatrists. They’re counselors. They’re doctors. But most of all they’re friends.
What’s the craziest story a customer has ever told?
“This place is like Vegas,” Alex said. “We keep it in the house.”