Hotel Olympian barber put down her shears Dec. 29

Twenty-seven years adds up to a lot of haircuts. And so Tommie Nurmi, barber at the Hotel Olympia Barber & Styling on Washington Street in downtown Olympia, will put down her shears and retire on Saturday.

Nurmi told The Olympian Thursday that this transition will be a hard one. Her clients have become friends and chosen family as they have swapped stories over the years as she’s snipped away.

And she’s had more than a few notable clients, including Gov. Jay Inslee.

“I’m going to miss the social part,” she said, hesitating and lowering her voice. “I’ll miss the working part too. Having to get up every day.”

This story was originally published December 28, 2018 at 4:50 PM.