Daus at work in her salon last week.

Michele Daus is a Waterford-Halfmoon High School graduate who began her career as a hairstylist training at the local BOCES. “I figured, ‘Hey, I’ll give it a shot,’ and I’ve loved it since day one,” she said.

That was 22 years ago.

This fall, the mother of three daughters opened Shear Magic, her first solely owned business, after working at various salons around town for years — most recently at the former Scissors of Oz on Ballston Avenue.

“I’ve always wanted to open my own business … I waited a long time to do this,” Daus said recently, in the midst of performing a color treatment on a client.

The salon is located at 41 Park Place, just across from the triangle point formed at the intersection of Park Place and Lincoln Avenue.

Shear Magic caters to children, who represent about 75 percent of Daus’s clientele. It’s no wonder parents and grandparents like to have their hair done there, too, as the small salon is set up specifically to keep little ones occupied with cartoons, toys, books, a tiny table and a chalkboard.

“I have a lot of fun with children. They look forward to coming in and picking a prize at the end if they’re good,” Daus said with a wink.

Giving babies their first hair cut is one of her specialties, Daus said. She makes it into an event by offering parents a photo, a lock of the baby’s hair and a certificate.

The five-points intersection on Saratoga’s East Side has been bustling with new life lately.

Shear Magic was joined by next-door neighbor Weight No More, a diet clinic, earlier this month. Across the street, a former Laundromat is being transformed into a pet-grooming facility. The owner is Ashley Noxon, who plans to reopen her business, Brown Dog Pet Spa, in February after moving it from Ballston Spa.

Shear Magic accepts Saratoga Mama tokens. For more information and appointments, call 583-7600.