Every time I go to get my haircut these days, without exception, the ol\u2019 gal (they\u2019ve always been gals so far) asks me if I have ever been there before so I explain that I have and dutifully give them my phone number so they can pull up my account. Now, I have been there 10 times or more since I have moved to town and yet they never ever know me from the man on the moon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gal cutting my hair this time read the notes on my account, then asked me, \u201cIt looks like we\u2019ve been doing a number 4 and scissor-cutting the top, does that sound right?\u201d All I could think was \u201cI don\u2019t know a number 4 from a number 200, lady, I must have missed the lesson that came after learning what number 1 and number 2 was during potty training. Let\u2019s just go with what you\u2019ve got there.\u201d Instead, I politely responded, \u201cYeah, I think that is right\u201d and let her go to work on lopping off a couple inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me tell you right here and right now, in all my 20+ years of patronage Don never had to ask me if I\u2019d been there before or if he\u2019d used a number 4 the last time. Why, he even knew my family going back decades and he always gave me the exact same haircut for 20 years with no questions asked. No muss, no fuss, just good conversation and consistency. Nothing fancy was needed nor expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of conversation, the lady barber put me through the same questions I\u2019d been subjected to the last ten times I’ve been there: \u201dWhere do you work?…Do you have any kids?\u201d It felt like we were out on a blind date\u2026it always does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don knew my kids by name, where I went to church, a good portion of my family tree and just about anything a person could ever want to know about somebody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all fairness, I have to say that throughout history women have had the reputation for gossiping but I can tell you that I got more town news, speculation, and goings on in Don\u2019s Barber Shop than I ever got anywhere else. For anyone wanting the scoop on what\u2019s happening in town or the world, go check out a barber shop filled with men someday. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chop shop makes everything sooooo easy, you can check in online and show up just in time to hit an open chair. They get right to work on you and send you on your merry way lickety-split. You really can\u2019t beat their turnaround time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Don\u2019s, it was always on a first-come-first-served basis and you really never knew who might be in line with you, friend or foe. It could either be the highlight of your day by seeing an old friend or it could make for some awkward silence and exchanges if someone you had beef with happened to be there or even a combination of the two. You might get lucky and weight five minutes or you might hit a busy time and wait an hour. There was a little bit of excitement about finding out what hand you would draw when you get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish I could make it back home to the barber shop, I would make that trade in a New York Minute. There\u2019s no question that the retail salons are quick and convenient\u2026but you will never convince me that they are progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I went to get a haircut this evening, which I don\u2019t suppose is big news to anyone including me but it still inspired me to write so I am going with it. Since I have moved from my hometown, I have got into the habit of going to what I call a \u201cchop shop\u201d or, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n