Wig party rules

Losing one's hair is an experience that can be attended with all sorts of other losses - loss of dignity, loss of confidence, loss of sociability - that can turn out to be more devastating than the original loss. At a store in Franklin, those undergoing these travails can shop for a solution to the hair loss - a wig - while finding something to help assuage the others - laughter.

Deborah McWhorter manages Chic Wigs, in Cool Springs Crossings, a complete wig outfitter operation with outlets in 9 states. Chic Wigs has its own line of wigs, as well as wigs from Henry Margu, Tony of Beverly, European Naturals, Beverly Johnson, Motown Tress, Noriko, Rene of Paris Wigs and other major manufacturers. Along with wigs of synthetic fibers, the store carries wigs made of human hair, reasonably priced ($299 to over $1,000). It features monofilament wigs and 100-percent hand-tied wigs ("Nothing more comfortable," says McWhorter), which look like they're coming right out of the skin.

In short, Chic Wigs' wigs are tops.

McWhorter is something special, too, having overseen the business since 2000, and commuting to and from Clarksville every day to do so. At one time she oversaw several stores in the chain, but she got off the road in order to devote more time to her passion, raising Quarter Horses, and to focus on the operation in Franklin, which has also become a passion.

"Nothing makes you feel any better or gives you a better perspective" than working with the many cancer patients she helps, McWhorter says. She estimates that these comprise 70 percent of her business; she also serves stage and screen performers, some country-music stars who will remain nameless. A lot of doctors refer clients, as do a lot of hairdressers, and word-of-mouth is another principle source.

McWhorter compares wigs, in that one gets what one pays for. "Some synthetic fibers look and feel better than others," she says. Chic Wigs has private fitting rooms, in which customers can get acquainted with prospective wigs before deciding if they want to take them to heart, and head.

"A lot of people leave here looking better than they ever did before they lost their hair," McWhorter says. "They say they'll keep on wearing their wig even after their hair grows back in."

Chic Wigs also carries hair extensions and add-ons (including a loop-and-lock system with no glue involved), hair thickeners, turbans, scarves, and other accessories. The store offers 15-percent discounts to cancer patients.

It also offers much more.

"It's traumatic to lose your hair," McWhorter says. "Some people come in crying. We try and comfort them, try to be very patient, and try to give them something to take with them - an angel or some other keepsake - to let them know we're thinking of them.

"We deal with a lot of kids. And a lot of times the kids take things better than their parents do. One little girl wanted a pink wig, and some doctors got together (as they often do) and bought her one."

McWhorter gives clients directions on the care and maintenance of their wigs, but she sometimes can't cover all the bases. "A man tried to dry his wife's wig in the drier after it got wet," she recalls, and so she offers this advice, free of charge, to the public:

Don't stick your wig in the drier.

Humor, McWhorter says, plays an essential part in dealing with clients who are often in a difficult situation. "We laugh and we cut up," she says.

"I feel blessed to be able to help people. It makes you feel like you have done something meaningful everyday."

Chic Wigs is at 1745 Galleria Blvd. Suite 1080, in Cool Springs Crossings. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Call 615-771-9779.