An Oak Bluffs salon that has garnered a reputation for fun and colorful hairstyles is set to close after more than a decade in business.

Circuit Style Salon, which has been at the bubblegum pink storefront at the end of Circuit avenue for 16 years, will close at the end of April. Owner Seniel Hannagan said it was time to pursue new endeavors, but looked back at her time at the salon in an interview last week. 

“It’s way more than hair. I’ve gotten to watch people, children grow into these adults and have children and do their grandparents. Generations of families I’ve watched on Circuit avenue change,” Ms. Hannagan said. “It’s been really beautiful.”

Ms. Hannagan wanted to pursue a mobile hair salon and decided to shift directions after the landlord decided to put the building up for sale. 

The landlord offered to sell Ms. Hannagan the building, but she declined because she no longer relies on foot traffic to maintain her business. Ms. Hannagan is now working to start a mobile hair salon and the other stylists are either going to other salons or pursuing new careers.

Ms. Hannagan has been at the helm for most of the salon’s existence. Circuit Style was founded in 2009 by Maggie Mae, the owner of Maggie’s Salon in Vineyard Haven. When Ms. Hannagan graduated from hair school in Hyannis, she applied to work with Ms. Mae.

In the early days, the salon relied on walk-ins coming in from Circuit avenue. Ms. Hannagan would sit in the back room and watch movies while she waited for customers to enter. Now, the salon is appointment-only. 

From the beginning, Ms. Hannagan said the salon attracted young people who wanted nontraditional hair.

“I was interested in more funky, rock and roll type hair. I had lived in L.A. for a while and I was coming from more of a music scene,” Ms. Hannagan said. “I had a lot of high school students that were getting rainbow mohawks. I was the place to come to for the younger people that wanted funky, fun hair. I think at first it freaked people out a little bit…I had to make sure everyone understood that I was trained in traditional hairstyling.”

Leah Camacho was one of the early clients at Circuit Style Salon who was interested in getting something fun done to her hair.

“I started going when I was like 14,” she said. “Back then I wanted more daring haircuts, more out there, more brave with colors and feathers. I always trusted her when I went in there and I’ve been going since.”

That trust has continued in the 15 since years since she first sat in Ms. Hannagan’s chair. Ms. Camacho trusts Ms. Hannagan so much that in the lead up to Ms. Camacho’s wedding, she agreed to Ms. Hannagan’s spur of the moment recommendation to cut bangs.

“I showed her a picture of my dress just for fun. She was like something’s missing. You need bangs,” Ms. Camacho said. “It was perfect and it was probably my best decision for wedding attire.”

Ms. Camacho and her mother are both clients of the salon who have moved off-Island. Both of them have come back to the Vineyard to get their haircut at Circuit Style.

Although the salon has a reputation for vibrant hair, the four stylists that work at the salon cater to a variety of different interests.

“I pretty much do the Edgartown ladies, the West Chop foils and things like that. They love being hip, going to the hip salon,” said Thomas Cox, one of the stylists who has a chair at Circuit Style.

Mr. Cox also noted that the past two summers, Ms. Hannagan has also brought in Visions Braid Bar to serve Black clientele on the Island.

Since its opening, the salon has seen generations of families in its chairs.

“When clients have children and get married, we’re a really family place. There are different generations of people coming. You have somebody and you do their kid’s hair and then their grandchild’s hair, lots of stuff like that,” Mr. Cox said.

For stylist Amber Simonin, her coworkers feel like family. She began at Circuit Style as a client, then became a receptionist in 2012. Ms. Hannagan encouraged her to go to hair school, and also came up with her daughter’s name, Scarlet.

“It definitely became more of a family relationship than just professional,” Ms. Simonin said. “It’s more than just getting their hair done. I’ve seen people come in and talk about their medical diagnosis, graduating school, getting married.”

Although Circuit Style Salon is closing its doors, many of the clientele are following their stylists to new locations. A woman who goes by the name One Pure Spirit has been a long-time client of Ms. Hannagan’s. She’s already booked appointments halfway through 2027, saying Ms. Hannagan helped Ms. Spirit through her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“I had cancer and I was gonna lose my hair. Not only did she cut my hair for free, we had a lot of fun. We dyed the stubs before they all fell out and she sent me flowers,” she said. 

When her hair started to grow back, they dyed it purple. Ms. Spirit is blonde now, and says her hair looks as good as ever.

“It’s a big loss for the Island, especially Oak Bluffs. I have walked through snow storms to get my hair done,” Ms. Spirit said. “We all feel at home when we’re there at 47 Circuit avenue.”