ORANGE PARK – A wig boutique seems fashionable but it also serves a vital need in helping the confidence of those suffering from illness.

Brandi Connor has run Brandi's Wigs & Boutique on Blanding Boulevard for about eight years, after spending 28 years in business on 103rd Street. She recalled her family assisting with the move and the decoration

“This was just an empty room,” Connor said.

Her store's interior is mostly pink and black, and the wigs rest on several dozen mannequins that line the shelves. Toward the back are chairs and mirrors, where Conner can give consultations. The boutique caters to women suffering from hair-eliminating conditions, who are tired of hair-based maintenance or who are seeking a new look.

Wigs are common in everyday life, she said.

“People don’t realize how many people are wearing wigs. They have no idea. I have clients with 20 or 30 wigs," Connor said. "There are some people who get their hair buzzed down because they are tired of caring for it and going to the salon, so they get wigs."

Conner has insight into how people view themselves and their hair. She observes that wigs can feature heavily in a person's life when everything changes drastically, though the accessory that people use to make their busy lives work.

“It’s two entirely different worlds,” Conner said. “One may be a medical need, whether it's alopecia or going through chemotherapy. People have lost their hair due to COVID, that was a whole thing I never expected.”

People enter her store in a delicate state of mind. Connor, who said she’s had several family members have cancer, said the customer comes in depressed and upset. Their diagnosis is a shock, and they’re scared everyone will know they’re wearing a wig.

“They can cover everything except their hair. That’s the one thing they’re so self-conscious about,” Connor said. “My thing is to first listen to their story so that I can understand where they’re at.”

Connor said doctors suggest clipping hair early to avoid months of hair loss, which can be painfully long. After getting a wig, it can feel like a celebration, a small victory over the condition. They want their life to be normal under the circumstances rather than to receive pity.

New hair helps a person move on, Connor said.

“If they can walk out with a smile on their face, when they came in crying, I feel like I made a difference today in somebody's life,” Connor said.

On the other hand, people have wardrobes of wigs like they have wardrobes for clothes, Connor said. Her clientele wants wigs recreationally, or they have jobs where they don’t have time for hair care.

“There are so many different reasons people wear wigs,” Connor said. “I find out what their needs are, what their wants are and what their goal is, what they want to achieve.”