Pine Island power couple: Spotlight on Keith and Heidi Talbott
Keith and Heidi Talbott have been married since November 1994. The couple has owned Angles Hair Design in Matlacha for 25 years, with each having had a background in the salon industry.
They met in Maui, Hawaii, where he was getting his license to become an instructor to open a beauty college. According to Keith, it wasn’t love at first sight — at least not for his wife.
“She didn’t like me too much at first,” Keith said, however it wasn’t long before the couple got a place together and then moved to California where they opened their own business and had their first child. They came back to Florida, Keith said, with nothing but the shirts on their backs.
As far as working together every day, Keith says he does his thing behind his chair and likewise she does her thing behind hers.
“We don’t interact together as much as you’d think,” said Keith.
Heidi said what makes it work, in part, is that neither of them is the boss, although she admits there are still moments that working as closely together as they do is difficult.
“Make sure you have a deep friendship first,” said Heidi. “He has a kind heart,” she says, explaining that her husband once donated pizza to all the local school children. “He just loves kids and he’s very generous.”
What makes Heidi an asset to the island, Keith said, is her hard work and tenacity.
“She comes in early and stays late,” said Keith. “She bends over backwards for her clients.”
The Pine Island community is beloved to both Keith and Heidi, making it the only place they care to call home.
“It’s not that we’re special,” said Heidi. “Our clients are the special ones, they’ve become our friends. This community has been through Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Irma, and there have been a lot of little things — we’ve had friends go through really hard times and watched how the community pulls together with things like fundraising, even if it’s a neighbor you don’t really love, when something strikes that neighbor, you step up.”
To Keith, part of the appeal of Pine Island is that Matlacha is a lot like Key West was when he was born.
“It’s like home,” he said.
“This is the community that helped us raise our kids,” said Heidi. “It wasn’t just us. We did O.K., but we had the support of the Hookers, the Moose, the veterans, Kiwanis. Even the teachers at Pine Island Elementary are just outstanding — it’s just an outstanding community to be in, and to raise your kids. It’s a village that helped us raise our family and a business.”
Angels Hair Design is at 4673 Pine Island Road, Matlacha. For additional information, please call 239-283-5222.