It's not unusual for Sarah Christian's customers to feel like they've found a friend.
She sells premium wigs made from the finest, shiniest, natural human hair.
"A lot of people come in and they have never met anyone before with alopecia,' Ms Christian told SBS.
"Which was the same for me when I opened this place, I hadn't met anyone else."
Ms Christian's business was borne out of necessity.
She has had alopecia - or hair loss- since she was seven.
Her most recent bout of hair loss was five years ago and became the impetus for her to shave her head and wear wigs full time.
But finding the right wig quickly became her "biggest nightmare."
Sarah travels overseas to source wigs made from high-quality hair, including hair that's never been dyed. Source: Supplied
"The hair was falling out of them, or they were matting and tangling and I got to a point where I was just kind of completely beside myself," Ms Christian explained.
"I figured women and children didn't need to go through the same torment that I was going through trying to find wigs and then I came up with the idea for this place."
Ms Christian sold her share in a fitness franchise to her business partner and was keen to go it alone this time, taking out one credit card to buy stock and to fit out the space.
She traveled overseas, primarily to Europe, to source wigs made from high quality hair, including hair that's never been dyed.
Her store turned a profit after three months.
"It can now afford to pay me...and I'm hoping within the first year I'll have a turnover of $200,000," she said.
95 per cent of the clients at The Beautiful Hair Boutique have a medical reason for their hair loss, be it alopecia, cancer or brain tumors.
Most of the boutique's clients have suffered hair loss because of a medical condition. Source: Supplied
Some are young girls and others are women in their 70's and 80's.
Ms Christian's wigs have attracted international attention, with clients in the U-S and some customers traveling from Malaysia to Mosman.
The wigs are personally fitted and then styled on site.
"Having opened this place and meeting a lot of other women that have had long term alopecia, some have had it for 30 years and they've come in and said to me "I'm so glad you opened this place because we've had this same struggle and they said I've thought about opening my own wig shop so thanks for doing it!""
A wig made from premium European hair can cost as much as 7000 dollars.
But that's a price Ms Christian said many women are willing to pay.
"Hair is a huge thing for women," she said.
"It's a part of who they are and their femininity, and it affects confidence massively.
"To see clients leave happy and send emails saying that they love their hair makes everything worth it."
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