For 25 years, Debi Cook-Lunkas has been helping Sylvania residents look and feel their best. Now, after nearly 19 years as owner of Shear Madness Salon in Haymarket Square, she is ready to trade styling scissors for a new season of life.

“I have truly loved my job and what I have been doing these past 25 years,” Cook- Lunkas said. “I so appreciate all of the support I have had over the years from the Sylvania community. I also treasure all of the relationships I have developed with clients and co-workers.”

As she reflects on her career, gratitude is a recurring theme.

“I am most appreciative of nail technicians Stefane Raymond and Gina Phillips, who have been with me for at least 14 years,” she said. “But I am looking forward to what is next for me. I am also ready to pass along the torch to Amber Young, the new shop owner.”

Young plans to continue the salon’s tradition of personalized service while adding her own touch. The most visible change will be a new name: Beau’s Haus.

According to Young, hair stylists Cindy Slaughterbeck and Dori Seevers, along with the two nail technicians, are expected to remain part of the team, providing continuity for longtime clients.

For Cook-Lunkas, retirement will not mean slowing down.

She looks forward to spending more time tending her garden, working out and caring for her four grandchildren, ages 11, 8 and 4½-year-old twins.

Looking back, Cook-Lunkas recalls how a combination of determination and generosity helped turn her dream into reality.

“I had been working around Sylvania for several years when I began thinking about opening my own salon,” she said. “A suite opening in Haymarket Square seemed ideal, especially when center owner Gene Paul offered to lease the space at a discounted rate. I am still so appreciative of the opportunity he gave to me.”

The experience shaped not only her career but also her perspective.
“In fact,” Cook-Lunkas said, “one of the greatest lessons I have learned over the last quarter-century is how important people are and that they matter.”

Through thousands of appointments, conversations and life milestones shared across salon chairs, Cook-Lunkas built more than a business. She created a gathering place where clients became friends and co-workers became family.

As Beau’s Haus prepares to open its doors under new ownership, Cook-Lunkas leaves knowing the relationships she cultivated and the community she served so faithfully will remain the lasting legacy of Shear Madness.