RUDIMENTS, pt. 1,324
(old time Biloxi)
I went into a regular, old,
one-man barbershop yesterday.
Stepped right up, yes, and asked
the guy if he could do some new
maintenance on my hair and beard,
which I then explained to him that
I'd just hacked up in a rough fashion
a few days before. The guy was
really cool about it all, said 'sure',
and asked if I could come back
about 2pm. There was another
guy in the barber chair too, being
worked on. 2pm was about 2 hours
off and we had a few things to do,
so the timing was OK, and I figured
what the heck, and said OK back.
-
The little town was Honesdale, and
what bugged me the most, honestly,
was having to pony up a few quarters
for the parking meter (25 cents per
hour). I know that's probably a bargain,
but I'm no longer used to paying for
such 'privileges'. But, no matter.
I could have just let it all go, but
something about the entire hair thing
was bugging me and I was sure I
wanted one last 'pro' touch to do my
head one better.
-
The barber guy was cool; and we talked
the whole time. He'd been here (Bavarian
Hill Road, actually, right over by me),
since 1994, when he and his wife
relocated from Brooklyn. She was a
school-teacher, and he'd been working
with a mechanic, whose wife was
also a school-teacher. Somehow it all
got mixed up with barbering and the
guy told him that - like himself -
with the wife as a school teacher he
had all the insurance coverage, etc.,
he'd need through her so why not try
barbering? It was pretty free, open,
not laborious, and a good, calm way
to make money.
-
I mentioned about how my uncle
who worked on Wall Street, back in
the 1960's, used to get 25 cent haircuts
at any of the barbering schools that then
dotted downtown. He laughed a little,
and said 'good idea.' He said it was of
little danger, the trainee haircuts were
usually good, and the cutting was always
supervised. He said, anyway, for the
real beginners they use mannequins
and cutting wigs.
-
The barber shop was cool, in and of
itself. Nothing fancied up or spectacular,
just a very cool workspace, one barber,
two chairs. After I asked he told me that
he'd bought the place from another barber
previously there, who'd retired out. Fixtures,
chairs, cabinets, mirrors, etc. When you
start with barber shops, the atmosphere
is very important. I can recall, as a kid,
three distinct levels of barbering in
Avenel. My seminary friend, Dave
Shershen, on Avenel Street, across from
Hila's house, he lived in a house the
front of which was built out for his
father's walk-up barbershop. It was
nice, airy place, and situated about
10 steps up, so it afforded a fun view
of the street as you were getting your
hair cut. Nice, friendly, social, place.
Then, down Avenel Street and across
Route One, by the schools, there was
Tom's Barber Shop. My father went
there. I never liked that place much, it
was of a much different character than
Shershen's. The stories were doubtful
and the talk was gruff. Tom was about
60, and his son, name forgotten now,
was about 35 I guess, and also worked
the place, being 'groomed' as it were,
to take over. He was creepy, and real
suspicious looking. It was a grumpy
old men kind of place, guys sitting
around, listening to the radio, grumbling
about Kennedy or the Yankees, and
having something to say about most
everyone who walked by the windows.
Every time I'd get thrown out of school,
back in those days, for too much hair,
they send me to Tom's for a trim.
-
But the worst place, or the best,
depending, was down towards the
bottom of Avenel Street, just past
Cameo's, and headed down to Rahway
Ave. I can't remember but I think we
called it Dirty John's. For us 12 year
olds, it was great - adult magazines
and no censorship - Playboy and
Penthouse, right there in the magazine
racks, for the perusal of all those
young boys waiting their turn. Ha!
If Mama only knew!
-
One last place I need to mention, only for
its uniqueness (and I only went there
maybe three times) was Gallo's Barber
Shop. It was tucked and sort of hidden
behind the underpass wall, on the
Rahway Ave. side of lower Avenel
Street, next and across from Mike's
Sub Shop. Old man Gallo was an
Italian immigrant, probably from
about a 1910 or so arrival to America.
Real old world, as was the barber shop.
Linen cloths, warmed and damp. Very
Italian inside - decor, wood, dark.
With an Italian tricolor flag. Never
any, or much, talk, especially to kids.
The coolest thing was - in the middle
of the floor-space - under glass and
in a large showcase that had been made
for it, like in a museum, was a perfectly
accurate model, about 6-feet long, of
the Cunard Liner he'd come to
America on. It was very cool and
held, apparently, in high esteem, and
it gave the entire place a truly
reverential air.
-
Anyway, that's memory. My present
is in Honesdale, at Rich Paparella
Hair Cutting. I gotta' say, I really
enjoyed the place, and the moments.
The conversation was cool, and we
covered lots of items. Forgetting
again about the parking meters, the
haircut-salvage job was way below
what I was afraid I'd have to pay.
So unlike me, I even gave him a
five dollar tip!
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