Tara Lane, the owner of Guys and Dolls salon, formerly of
Throggs Neck, wins an award from the Throggs Neck Merchant
Association. Photo courtesy John Cerini
NICK’S DRUG STORE
Surgical Supplies
Wheel Chairs
Bath Rails
Hospital Beds
Diabetic Supplies
5 cent copies
Doctors can call, fax,
E-Rx (3329554) or email us
BRONX TIMES R 2 EPORTER, JULY 2-8, 2021 BTR
Natu “Nick” Gevaria, BS Rph
Pharmacist
FREE
DELIVERY
Supplies
We Have Special Services
BY JASON COHEN
For more than three decades
Tara Lane owned Guys
and Dolls hair salon in Pelham
Bay and Throggs Neck.
Lane passed away on June 11
from COVID-19. She was 57.
A Throggs neck native,
Lane, who operated the shop
for about 35 years, was beloved
in the community. Guys
and Dolls was originally in
Pelham Bay before relocating
to 3577 E. Tremont Ave.
in Throggs Neck for 15 years
until it moved to the town of
Eastchester in 2018.
Throggs Neck business
owner John Cerini, who met
Lane when he started the
Throggs Neck Merchant Association
(TNMA), described
her as a “diamond in the
rough.” Cerini didn’t know
she was sick and was shocked
when he heard about her
death.
“She was a very successful
business woman that everybody
loved,” Cerini told the
Bronx Times. “She always
had a smile on her face.”
Cerini, who has a tax and
insurance business on East
Tremont Avenue, saw her
often when she was in the
neighborhood. In 2011, Lane
was honored for her commitment
to the community by
TNMA.
The two eventually became
friends and Cerini saw
the impact she had on Bronxites.
Not to mention, his wife
got her haircut there as well.
According to Cerini, it
was more than just a haircut
when people went to Guys and
Dolls. The place had a welcoming
atmosphere and Lane
always made everyone feel at
home. “When she walked in a
room she always put a smile
on her face,” Cerini recalled.
“As long as I knew her she
was always in a good mood.”
One person who knew Lane
well was Katie Engelhardt.
Engelhardt was her employee
for 19 years and the two became
quite close. Engelhardt
explained that although Lane
was not married nor had any
children, her clients were her
family. Lane also had several
nieces and nephews who
meant a lot to her.
“She was a force to be reckoned
with,” Engelhardt said.
“She had a heart of gold. She
would do anything for anybody.”
At age 20, Engelhardt first
came to Guys and Dolls with
a resume and it not only became
a job, but much more.
She and Lane became friends
and went on vacations often
together.
“She made everything
fun,” she said. “I never met
anyone like her. She taught
me everything, not even
about hair. Her presence in
my life made me a better wife,
mother and hairdresser. I
still hear things that she told
me in my head.”
Engelhardt noted that for
her clients to follow Lane for
30-plus years she must have
been doing something right.
“She loved her clients and
they loved her,” Engelhardt
added. “She believed in what
she did. She had a passion for
hair.”
Lane contracted the coronavirus
in March, but most
people did not know. However,
Engelhardt said at one
point the feeling was she
would recover.
“She always had a
smile on her face”
Guys and Dolls Salon owner passes away