Sharon and Fred Cohanim share family on Larchmont Blvd.
Sharon and Fred Cohanim, the owners of Larchmont Beauty Center, have grown up with the community and with each other.
They met in Tehran when she was 17 and he was 19. Sharon was friends with Fred’s sister, and she attended a swimming party at his parents’ house. Sharon said it was love at first sight.
“He was very handsome,” Sharon said. “Little by little, we got to know each other, and we grew up together.”
They dated for two years and lived in Tehran until right before the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Sharon, who was born in New York, was first to move from Iran to Los Angeles. Fred followed one month later. She remembers that month in between as one of their hardest moments.
Their move to Los Angeles was 43 years ago. Sharon said the idea to open Larchmont Beauty Center, a neighborhood staple for health and beauty products, was a shared one. The doors opened at Larchmont Beauty in April 1992.
“We opened here, and we were supported by the neighborhood. We are very grateful for that. It’s a very nice neighborhood; very fantastic clientele,” Sharon said.
Last year, Sharon and Fred celebrated 51 years of marriage. She said the key to their long relationship has been compromise. That is how they have supported each other through good and bad times, like the Revolution.
“What I love about him, he’s a very good man. What he loves about me, I’d have to ask him,” Sharon laughed. “But we get along. There have been so many ups and downs, but we still get along. Maybe it’s the compromise part.”
Together they have raised three sons: Radi, Barry and Teddy. Radi and Barry have joined the family business, and Teddy works in real estate.
The highlight of their marriage has been seeing their children marry and start their own families.
“Our very good moments together were when our children got married,” Sharon said. “The fruit of our life. This is something that we built together, Fred and I.”
Over the past three decades at Larchmont Beauty, Sharon said their customers have also become part of their family story.
“It’s really a pleasure to come to work. To see the customers makes me happy,” Sharon said. “They’re like family to me.”
Most customers are not tourists, but regulars who have known Fred and Sharon for years. She said her greatest pleasure is talking and catching up with her customers.
“For example,” Sharon said, speaking over the phone from the store, “right now, a customer comes in. They know Fred’s name and say, ‘Hi Fred, how are you doing?’ It’s like somebody has come home.”
She considers their relationship very lucky. Through Larchmont Beauty, Sharon and Fred have built a community.
“We have a big family,” Sharon said. “This is how it feels to me and to Fred.”
Category: People