Marcel Curling Iron
Location 92
Date: 1940's
Owner: Sufronia Mitchell
Sufronia MItchell, affectionately called Tiggie by family and close friends, was treasured in the East Toledo community. She used her trade and entrepreneurial skills as well as her caring heart to serve others. As a young woman, she didn’t want to be limited by society’s working norms for black women during her era. Being a domestic worker was upstanding, but she dreamt of becoming a beautician. With the support of her family and her faith in God, Sufronia enrolled in Erma Lee’s Beauty School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1943. During the week, Sufronia attended classes and lived in Cleveland while her husband, Julius Mitchell, and family cared for the couple’s two daughters in Toledo. On the weekends, she returned home to be with her family. Her family supported her dream in word and deed.
The family’s businesses, “The Walk-In Cafe” and “Mitchell’s Beauty Bar” were housed in a building that was constructed by Sufronia’s father, Leander Hamer, who was a carpenter. The building was in their East Toledo neighborhood. Leander ran the restaurant and Sufronia went on to operate the beauty business for more than fifty years. Caring for her community’s hair and earning an income were not the sole focus of her business. There were times when Sufronia extended services knowing that customers would not be able to pay immediately. Around the holidays or at the start of a school year, Sufronia would ask parents to bring their children to the beauty shop, even if they could not pay for services. Her greatest concerns were for people to live with dignity and to feel good about themselves. Sowing into the community was her joy, and as a beautician, she was able to care for at least 5 generations. Sufronia was also a notable member of the Ohio Beautician’s Association of Toledo and vicinity. She was a visionary who pursued her dream and utilized her success to serve her community. These are but a few reasons as to why Sufronia Mitchell was known as a trailblazer and a pillar of hope in East Toledo.
The Marcel curling iron pictured is one of her many tools that she used in her trade. Precise technique had to be mastered to hold, grip, and turn this springless, manual curling iron which was heated on a stove.
Long live the memory of Sufronia “Tiggie” Mitchell.
