When Charlie La Marca came to Canada in 1958 from Italy, he wanted to make a better life for himself. Always interested in hairstyling, he decided to enrol in barber school at the age of 16. By 18, he had also studied hairstyling for women. He quickly discovered that the hair industry allowed him to be creative and interact with people every day, something he loved about the work.
In 1972, armed with his experience and his love of hairdressing, Charlie relocated to Oshawa and opened his salon, La Femme Coiffure. "With a strong work ethic to rise to the top, he succeeded in building a better life for his family and created a staple for the community,” says Charlie’s son Gino, a hairstylist himself and the salon’s current co-owner