Archipelago, Oklahoma might not be on your bucket list yet, but with it’s sweet as the tea charm and wafting torrents of hair spray reminiscent of a 1980’s nightclub restroom – it will quickly land a place in your adventurous heart. Driving through this tiny hamlet will take only minutes, including the mandatory traffic stop by the local Sheriff’s office, but with a set of quick left-right-left turns from the one-lane highway, you will swiftly enter the heart of this community. The downtown – like many small southern towns – has an antiquated and crumbling exterior for its lone bank, diner, and city hall combination storefront. However, two abandoned buildings down from the coffee-drinking, check-cashing townsfolk is a pink lean-to tent that makes this town a glorious addition to your summer travel plans.

Gladys Mckeeby settled in Archipelago 32 years ago at the young age of 54. After a glamorous career as a stylist for beauty pageants, she found herself downtrodden and alone when her longtime husband and business partner left her for her older sister. But this setback didn’t deter her passion for beauty.

When she arrived in what was formerly a sleepy little town by hitchhiking from her ex-husband and sister’s wedding in Oklahoma City, Ms. Mckeeby found a home in the same spot it sits today as her residents and salon. Some may call it make-shift, but her clients readily call it transformational.  Her original location was a mere box, but now it is replaced by the bright pink tent you see today. 

She has two stools inside her initiatively designed space to seat clients. Her specialty is voluminous coifs kept afloat with a variety of organic and fashion-forward methods and held in place with hairspray supplied by the local Rotary club collection box. Clients are delighted by the complimentary services and often partake in refreshments provided in minimalistcore brown paper bags.

When departing this hot spot for beauty, clients are showered with a generous shower of glitter body spray to highlight Ms. Mckeeby ‘s hair couture creations.

When planning a road trip, Archipelago and Ms. Mckeeby ‘s boutique salon is a destination that cannot be forgotten.