Modern barbershops

[JV]

We had a couple of real barbershops, but one of the shops closed because of the barber's health.  My wife has tried to get me to go to her hairdresser, but I have made up my mind to use a weedeater first.  Besides, I might miss out on a real deal.  My barber is a real horse trader, need something, just ask.  If he doesn't have it, he knows who does.  I bought two antique hit and miss gas engines, a 5th wheel lowboy trailer, and was given a bunch of bar trusses while sitting in the barber chair.  You can't do that in some fancy hair salon.  Haircuts are $9 but its the extras that get expensive.   :D

[Part_Timer]

Sorry but this will get a bit long winded.

I wear a flat top.  It is almost impossible to get a flat top hair cut now a days.  Katie has been cutting mine for abotu 20 years now so it's not a real big deal.

Last year we just ran out of time before we vent to VA on vacation so I had to scrounge aroud town for a real barber.  I walked into the shop and some good looking gal was in there wearing the barber coat.  I asked if she could cut a real flat top.  Her reply was  "I cut em good enough for the corp for 20 years it ought to be good enough for you."  I was real happy.
Well she cut my hair and checked out the moles on the top of my head to make sure they weren't funny colored.  I thought that was strange but she showed me a skin cancer scar on her leg from the surgery.  She used a real fine trimmer on my neck and vacuumed off my head when she was done.  To say I was happy was an understatement.  I see it like this.

I got the following
A good hair cut.
good conversation.
a medical checkup
got to see some leg
got vacuumed
All for $15.
I'll be going back this summer.  Hope she's still in business.

[Engineer]

Decided that a good razor in the shower every other day is all I need for a haircut.  Ain't been to a barber in a couple years now.

[Dave Shepard]

I've been going to the same  barber since I was a little kid. I've gone to a couple others now and then, but only in an emergency. At first, it was just a barbershop. Lots of deer heads on the wall and pictures of triumphant turkey hunters etc. Then, they got the idea to make it a barbershop/beauty salon. They moved to a little bit bigger hole in the wall. Pine paneling gone, deer heads gone. Now it's an anti-septic white with a couple of Norman Rockwell prints on the wall. But, Moose is still there, when he's not golfing in Florida, that is. Must be getting up towards 80 now, but still cutting away.

[timberfaller390]

The barbershop I go to is the Edwards Brother's (localy called the Ederds')They've been in business for about 50 years they are both in thier 70's. I get a flat top and pay $7 they shave your neck with a straight razor and trim your eyebrows. There are deer heads on the wall and a glass bottle coke machine in the corner. It doesn't matter whether Ernest or Ron cuts your hair they both do a great job. If you aren't there when they open at 8 am you'll be waiting for awhile and don't even think about trying to get in on saturdays. If you need to know what's going on in the county these are the boys to talk to, they know a heap more about affairs of state than anybody else. Important stuff like who has the best bull who got the first deer of the season who bought a new tractor and so forth and you can also find out every detail that went on at the last county council meeting. It's a good place.

[Woodwalker]

I had to quit my old barber Mr. Turner some years ago, my nerves couldn't take it any more.  I think he was close to eighty when he retired  and my Dad took me to him for my first haircut. Keep going back to him up until he got the shakes.
He would lather up your sideburns and neck, strop the razor, put his left hand on the side of your head,  and out of the corner of your eye you would see the shaking  right hand and razor coming toward your head. Just couldn't keep going.
He was a one man shop, WWII vet., and the place was the same as the others described here.  One notable memory I have was sometime in the early eighties a young man 18 – 20 with shoulder length hair took his seat in the chair and proceeded to tell the old barber to trim this, layer that.   Mr. Turner stopped, looked at the guy and told him "Son, I'm a barber, not a hair dresser. I give men's haircuts. Do you want a haircut?" The guy acted like he was caught off guard and I'm not sure he fully  understood the question, but he said he wanted a haircut. Boy did he get one. :D

[pineywoods]

I still frequent one of the old fashioned kind of barber shops. No appointments, just walk in and wait your turn. Bill knows everybody and just about everything. He's only open 3 days a week, unless the opening day of turkey season falls on one of those days. then he takes the day off.. ;D

[WildDog]

Back in the 80's we had a shearing team in and one of the rouseabouts called Sydney had long unkept hair allways hanging in his eyes when he was skirting the wool, the contractor told him to get it cut but he didn't, on the final day of cut-out one shearer threw him feet 1st down the shute with his head hanging out while another got the clippers and shore his head, I don't think they charged him for the clip. ;)

[Frickman]

I'm going to get my hair cut tommorow. I go to a gal who runs a salon in town and just happens to be the sister of one of my customers, that's how I met her in fact. I just show up on time, sit down, shut up, and I'm out the door in fifteen minutes or so, twenty tops. She keeps things moving and doesn't have folks sitting around everywhere gossiping. I avoid two things I never liked about barber shops, waiting around and listening to gossip. No offense to anyone here but sometimes a barbershop is worse than a beauty salon for lies and rumors.

Even though her place is a salon, with tanning beds even, it isn't all frillied up or anything. She has a nice place alright, but she keeps it kind of "gender neutral". I see alot of other local businessmen and other community leaders going in and out. They are like me and don't have alot of time to waste. There are two other girls who work with her and if one falls behind the others take up the slack and get you on your way.

[Dan_Shade]

in my limited experience, the difference between a "salon" and a "barbershop" is the quality of the clippers.

I never got my hair cut in a "salon" where the clippers weren't painful, becuase they used the $20 clipper.  At a barbershop, they use the high end pro models, and the barbers send the heads out to have them sharpened.

I also like the straight razor neck shave.

[mcfcfan]

We have an old fashioned mens barber shop in town.
It has been run by the same two brothers for the last 30 odd years.
It has the old style leather chairs that raise and lower with a foot pedal at the back of the chair.
They trim your beard (shave it if required), moustach, ear hairs and nasel hairs (thats if you have any of course)
Whats more they open at 6.00am every day except Sundays.
No hairdryers, no fancy shop fittings, just scissors and razors.
I go every six to eight weeks depending on growth for a 5 - 10 minute hair cut exactly how i like it. 8) 8)

[fstedy]

Haven't been to a real barber for about 25 years. When I look in the mirror I see the guy that cuts my hair. Sometimes he has a pair of clippers in his hand.

[Chris Burchfield]

Went to Wmart and purchased a Wahl clipper set for shearing one of my dogs last summer. Came with different rakes for different lengths. Even had a DVD showing their use. I thought what the heck, before I get em dirty on a dog. Worked pretty well. I did it outside with wife's makeup mirror. Afterwards, I didn't think I'd ever catch that DanG dog.  :D :D :D

[mcfcfan]

We have an old fashioned mens barber shop in town.
It has been run by the same two brothers for the last 30 odd years.
It has the old style leather chairs that raise and lower with a foot pedal at the back of the chair.
They trim your beard (shave it if required), moustach, ear hairs and nasel hairs (thats if you have any of course)
Whats more they open at 6.00am every day except Sundays.
No hairdryers, no fancy shop fittings, just scissors and razors.
I go every six to eight weeks depending on growth for a 5 - 10 minute hair cut exactly how i like it. 8) 8)

Forgot to mention, only cost $10.00 NZD about $7.40 USD

[Ernie]

Jan and I have been married for almost 39 years and one of the first things I trained her to do was cut my hair.  Come to think of it, that was the only thing I trained her to do.  Every now and then she suggests that I go to a barber but when it gets long enough, she caves in and I get my free haircut again ;D

[BcWoodWorks]

I have to add my bit here, because as a 20 year old with no sense of hair-style; all barber shops USED to be good. Until....

I thought it was hard to screw up "just make it shorter" or "Mohawk me up please."

Needless to say, I do my own mohawk'ing now. :/ I came out looking like someone took a crooked dinner fork and tried to mince my scalp. I'm not very smart or good with my hands, but I'm pretty sure I could have get a straighter mohawk with a pair of golf clubs and my Aunt's make-up mirror.  :

Lesson learned. I guess I missed out, seeing as how I've never been to a "real" barber shop for a shave/cut.

*Shrug* We the youth, do hereby swear to get our scalps mauled by talkative 19 year old chicks.

[Samuel]

I bought a $30 par of clippers from Costco about 5 years ago.  Me and the boy get a good skinning about 1-2 times per month.  I find its even faster without the stupid guard, and it lasts longer too. ;)

[CHARLIE]

When I lived in Minnesota I went to an old style Barbershop called Jerry's. Jerry was the only barber. It was first come first serve. Plenty of hunting, fishing, car, Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines.  Sit and talk politics, tell jokes and talk about sports or hunting and fishing. You didn't even need to know the people there, just enjoy the conversations.  Jerry cut my hair from 1972 until 2004 when I moved to Wisconsin.

When I moved to New Richmond I couldn't find an old time Barbershop. So, I went to Fantastic Sams.  It was a franchise and they never had the same girls there. They didn't use clippers and only would give a trim with scissors.  Finally, I asked the girl to cut my hair with clippers. She looked horrified. She took some clipers out of the drawer and put one of those plastic guides on it. I never went back. I asked one of the guys in Kiwanis Club where he got his hair cut.  Now I go to a one chair Barbershop in the small town of Star Prarie. First come, first serve. Magazines are hunting, fishing, Popular Mechanics, Motorcycle, Old Cars and Aviation and some are pretty old.  The barber is my age (65) and owns a motorcycle, an old 5 window coupe street rod, a pickup truck and he hunts and shoots a lot of competitive trap.  I get a good haircut, hot lather and shave around the ears and back of the neck and the eyebrows trimmed while we talk about hunting, or motorcycles or cars or guns or politics. Everyone in the shop joins in.  I look forward to my quarterly haircut. ;D

[old joe]

All my working life I was required to be well trimmed and groomed.  Not any more!!
I cant remember my last haircut or shave.  hair in a tail .  Beard trimmed with scissors.
I love it, And Kim is a good sport.