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The Long and Short of Relationships   

Linda and Ed Bordwell share reflections on operating a business in Sunnyside, Washington.

Family roots run deep in Sunnyside, Washington. Hairworks salon owner Linda Bordwell could tell you something about that. Last year, Linda retired from her full-time activity at the salon, which she has owned for 38 years, passing management duties along to her daughter, Brezzi. Linda’s granddaughter Mikayla also works in the salon now, making the business truly multigenerational.   

 Part modern beauty salon, part gathering spot for the community, Hairworks is a Sunnyside institution. We sat down with Linda, her husband Ed, and their daughter Brezzi last year to hear their reflections on being business operators and long-time credit union members, and how much the Sunnyside community means to them.

The Strands of Community 

Linda got her start in salon services when inspiration struck her as a first-year student in college and she switched from university to beauty school.   

 “I never regretted it for a day in my life,” she said.   

 “I love the business, love the industry, love the people. It was hard for me to retire this last year,” she added, describing how she still checks in on the business, and even maintains her license for the occasional person who “still wants the old lady to cut their hair,” as she put it.

Linda shared that one of the most meaningful aspects of her career has been building trust with her clients, offering a non-judgmental ear to listen to whatever the client feels like chatting about. “It is a very hands-on business,” she said. “We touch a lot of people – we actually touch clients more than the doctor does.”   

 She paused, and added, “trust can be tactile.” Linda and Ed both reflected on the importance of community spots, like the salon, or, for Ed, his favorite coffee shop.   

 “It always surprises me in hairdressing how you have so many resources that come in – doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, bankers,” Linda said, describing how often she has had occasion to refer one of her clients to another one. For the Bordwells, these are the threads that are woven together to create a rich community.   

 For his part, Ed Bordman always worked in and around the agricultural industry that is so integral to the local economy. Dairy farms and orchards abound, livestock is raised, and hops are planted and harvested in Sunnyside. The Bordwells had cows and chickens, and now goats, on the family farm where they live.    

 “A lot of my customers,” said Linda, “if they don’t grow it themselves, they work in [adjacent] areas, like the crop insurance industry, or on surveys and maps… there are so many ways to participate. There’s so much that goes into growing an apple.”   

 

Linda and Ed's daughter, Brezzi Campos, at Hairworks. 

Car Loans, Business Loans and More 

Linda, Ed and Brezzi all spoke of their ties to the credit union, which was previously Lower Valley Credit Union, before the merger with Self-Help in 2021. Linda and Ed agreed that most of the loans they have had over the years, whether trucks or horse trailers for their agricultural activities, or loans for the business, were through the credit union.   

 Brezzi shared the story of her first auto loan. “I was about 20 years old when I got my first car,” she said, explaining that the car, a Plymouth Breeze, seemed to match her name. “I’ve gotten every car loan since through the credit union as well,” she said, adding: “Big banks don’t know you. It’s harder to prove yourself, your income. The credit union was willing to do the work to learn about me.”

 

Brezzi Campos.

One ordinary business day 15 years ago, an extraordinary thing happened at the salon. A client, finished with salon services, was picked up by her husband. Backing out of the parking space, he accidentally put the car in drive and rammed into the building. It scared everyone inside, but luckily no one was hurt. But when looking into what it would cost to repair the damage, the local permitting office noted multiple other changes that would need to be made to bring the building up to code, turning the repair of the relatively small damage from the accident into a significant project.   

 All this meant Linda and Ed had some tough choices to make about what to do next: they needed a place to operate their business, but their landlord, who was elderly, wasn’t up the task of managing the repairs. Linda and Ed took a big entrepreneurial breath and offered to purchase the property.   

 After the offer was accepted, the Bordwells planned how they would level the existing building and construct a new one. Their existing building was so old, it was more efficient to start from scratch, but for this, they needed financing. The Bordwells approached the credit union, and the rest is history. Ed, who had all sorts of experience building things, including specific experience as a carpenter, did the work. And when it was complete, the new space allowed Hairworks to grow, expanding its services to include nail care and aesthetician work.

We're Sunnyside People 

Daughter Brezzi loves being a stylist. She’s grateful their family business has created employment for her mother, herself and now, her daughter, and she’s very glad she gets to do it all in her hometown. Brezzi spoke of Sunnyside’s annual Lighted Farm Implement Parade, one of her favorite parts about living there. “It happens in December, so it’s cold, but everyone comes out – it’s a lot of fun.” The Lighted Farm Implement Parade is a stunning festival of lights – lights arranged on agricultural equipment – that is so deeply part of the local agricultural heritage, it has been featured on the Travel Channel.   

 Linda and Ed both spoke of how much they love their community, with Linda adding, “we were both born in Sunnyside Hospital. I’ve always said: [these] roots are so deep, we’ll never leave here. Our daughters got that from us too. We’re Sunnyside people. We’ve been here forever, and we love it here. It’s home.”