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Cartoons of
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posted June 3, 2009, from March/April 2009 issue
story and photos by Robert Pavlik
Robert Pavlik
looks at barber shops and hair salons
The cutting and styling of hair appears
to be a recession-proof business. It’s one of the lines of work that
attract creative types who want to own and operate their own business.
It is a competitive field, despite the many hundreds of hours required
to become a barber or cosmetologist. Then, there is the challenge of
attracting and maintaining clientele.
The owners come up with either a clever
name, like “Noggins ‘n Nails,” or create and display (along with
the familiar barber pole) a distinctive piece of artwork displaying
their craft.
In my own family we didn’t go to
a barber shop until we were well into our teens, and even then (this
was the 70s) not with any great frequency. Of course we didn’t go
to barber shops but “stylists,” the new and hip alternative.
In a barber shop you were likely to be abused for having long hair,
which they would promptly shear into the traditional “butch” haircut.
Therefore, stylists were able to give you a haircut that left you with
an ample head of hair, but at a much higher cost.
As the years have advanced and my hairline
has receded, I have tried various barber shops and chain salons, all
to varying degrees of satisfaction. For the last 15 years or so I now
take my graying head to the local beauty college, where for the cost
of a pint of beer (and the coupon clipped from the newspaper) I can
get a fairly good haircut, supervised by a licensed professional. Despite
my vague instructions, the haircut never comes out the same twice, but
that is one of the benefits of student work. It almost always elicits
comments and bemused observations from my colleagues. And, I enjoy the
goings on in the beauty college, where students are experimenting with
all sorts of cuts and perms and color jobs.
These photos are of some of the barber shops and beauty parlors I have come across over the years. They display the individuality of the owner and convey the style and viewpoint of the proprietor.