Longtime Cortez resident Penny Fieldson is trading in her trucking license for a pair of haircutting shears, as she plans to open her own beauty salon, Abstract Hair and Nails, on Nov. 9.

Although the professional trucking industry has been her main occupation for the last few decades, she has been cutting hair professionally since she was 18 years old.

A Texas native, Fieldson says her desire to work in the beauty-field started way back in her junior high days when she had long flowing hair and couldn’t trust any stylists to get the job done to her standards.

“My best friend and I in junior high both had really long hair, and like a lot of girls with long hair, overtime we went in and asked them to take one inch off they took three,” she recalled with a smile. “We both said back then we’d become hair stylists, and it turns out we both did.”

Fieldson has called Cortez home for the last 18 years, and with her husband Ronald, has worked primarily in the trucking industry, swinging back into the salon during slow times.

“I worked at a couple other shops … I would stay on somewhere for two years, then something would happen and we’d get out there again,” she said. “But we’re both retired, and giving up our licenses … The last shop I worked in did not fit my needs. I wanted more of a salon-feel.”

With a push from her husband and daughter, Fieldson took the plunge and decided to create the salon she’s always wanted to work in.

In addition to hair cuts and color services, Fieldson offers pedicures and manicures. Her big vision is to offer massage and tanning services as well to create a full-service shop. She is still seeking a masseuse, and stylists to rent booth spaces, but says the main vision is to offer a full-service salon in a friendly, no-gossip space with affordable prices. She admits the downtown Cortez area is flush with other hair and beauty offerings, but sees it more as an opportunity for the customer to shop around rather than competition.

“It’s good to be on Main Street. No other building was already set up for want I wanted to do. This building also housed two other salons that have since moved to other larger locations.”

She’s hoping the momentum continues.

Abstract Hair and Nails is located at 37 E. Main Street in downtown Cortez.