That mannequin head is very white,” Irish Country Living’s photographer muses to himself through the camera lens.
“No hassle,” replies Sandra Shortall, jumping up from behind the counter of Klassy Lady Boutique.
Just a couple of seconds later, before we even have time to enquire where she has gone, Sandra returns holding up two cans of spray paint; “Gold or purple?”
Although we insist there’s no need, within minutes Sandra emerges from the back with a transformed gold mannequin head. The fascinator is placed back in position and the photoshoot continues.
Sandra has been running Klassy Lady in The Square, Cahir, for two years now. However, the name over the door has been there much longer, passed down through two predecessors. Immediately upon meeting Sandra, it’s clear that she is creative and energetic in equal measures.
Klassy Lady specialises in top-to-toe styling, mostly for occasion wear, with everything from headpieces to clothes, shoes and shapewear available in store.
Although she knew the shop from her schools days around town, it was through Sandra’s work as a milliner that she first became involved in Klassy Lady.
“My sister was getting married and her mother-in-law was buying her outfit in here. Patricia, who had the shop at the time, said to her: ‘Have you thought about a headpiece?’ She replied, she had and that I was going to make it.
“I was only making them for myself at that time, but Patricia said: ‘Oh God, would you tell her to come into me’, that the lady who was providing hats here is not well. Eventually I came in and that’s where it started.
"Little did I know it was actually going to happen. In the end, everything came together within six weeks and suddenly I was here,” she says with a smile.
Wanderlust
But, before she arrived in The Square, Cahir, Sandra had a lot of life experiences to get through.
Growing up on a farm six miles out the road in New Inn, as a teenager Sandra worked and showed commercial cattle for Billy Gubbins from Kilfinane, who is still heavily involved in the showing scene today.
“I was one of the few girls on the scene then and just loved it. I remember not being able to sleep the night before a show I’d be so excited for the following morning. In those days there were no power washers or blow dryers for grooming the cattle, it was buckets of water drawn,” she says.
Just four months after her 17th birthday, Sandra moved to Massachusetts, where, as she says herself, she worked at a bit of everything. It was there in the Irish clubs she learned to dance – but more on that later.
After Sandra came back from the US, she moved straight to London. For many years she lived there with her son Darragh.
And, always displaying a business aptitude, the Tipperary woman ran pubs while also working for the English County Council.
I remember being really worried because if he didn’t settle in school it was all going to go up in a heap
Ten years ago Sandra decided to make the permanent trip to Tipperary, continuing to work remotely for the English County Council for eight years after she returned home.
“I wanted to come home and my son was just finishing primary school over there, which is a bit earlier than they finish it here.
"I built at home on the family land. Darragh went to the primary school my two brothers would have gone to.
“I remember being really worried because if he didn’t settle in school it was all going to go up in a heap. There was another Darragh in his class, so the boys got together and decided my Darragh needed a nickname. Now coming from England there could have been a few choice ones. But they gave him a choice of names, so he ended up with Seamus, and Seamus he is still called,” she laughs.
Darragh, aka Seamus, of course took to Ireland like a duck to water and is currently serving his second year as an apprentice farrier. He and his mother both share a love of horses.
Passion projects
Sandra is a self-proclaimed “dancing addict” and would drive anywhere within two hours to hit the floor, and that’s with a bad back.
“I have four discs out in my back and I’m still dancing,” she laughs. “I stayed one weekend at home, decided I was no better off and said: ‘That’s it I’m going back dancing.’”
With her creative flair and endless energy, it’s no wonder Sandra has turned her love of dancing into another passion project. Recently she and her friend Laura Barrett started dancing lessons.
“Laura could come in here now, a song could come on the radio and we’d take into the jiving.
“One of the ICA ladies came in here after the talk and said: ‘Sure you might think about jiving lessons.’ Laura was here that day and I was going: ‘No, I won’t now.’ When the lady was gone out the door Laura said to me: ‘Why won’t we?’”
So, late last year, the pair started dancing lessons in Cahir Community Hall. Initially they had planned to run them in Klassy Lady, making space by pushing back the middle rail.
But such was the interest they had to acquire a bigger venue. In recent weeks they also started classes in Mitchelstown.
Between boutiques and boogies, Sandra clearly isn’t afraid to try something new and is a prime example of putting hard work to good use.
For further information on Klassy Lady see Facebook.com/thesquarecahir. For more on the dancing lessons call 087-4171 734.