Hopscotch and hair

Seniors, kids mix in Sabrina Williams' patch of the Pearl

Sabrina Williams brings fresh eyes to the Pearl District.

Sabrina Williams, 37, moved to Portland three years ago from Austin, Texas, to open a hair salon. As the sole proprietor of Indulge, located inside the upscale retirement home, Watermark in the Pearl, she has a unique vantage point on the area she calls "Slab-Pearl."

It's getting busier lately, the engaging Aveda Institute grad said, adding that the salon is open to the public and now has nail service.

"I'm a fresh pair of eyes on the area," she said.

Cue Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” as kids fly past riding bikes and scooters, while smaller ones climb on The Ramona’s courtyard playground. A clothesline/zipline extended across the courtyard must be for sending encrypted messages wrapped in Gummy Worms between apartments.

Well, what's it like working with seniors?

"It's an honor. As a younger person, I always gravitated toward older people," Williams said. "This population can get pushed to the margins. But I see kids from the neighborhood playing outside among the residents."

The Ramona, a building built with families in mind, is directly across Northwest 13th Avenue, and the Vibrant Apartments are right around the corner on 14th Avenue, where a curbside adjustable basketball hoop awaits kids growing up without driveways or cul-de-sacs.

"Hair is more than hair," Williams said. "It's a bond. I work with curly, wavy, coiled, textured. I find joy in doing all types of hair."