By Edward Master
I cannot say I have had a love affair with barbers (or hairstylists if you will), but I have indeed had a history.
My first trip to a barber was at a very young age to a Turkey City neighbor, Jum Gardner. I’m not sure if Jum was licensed as a barber or whether he cut hair as a hobby or second income. I believe I had to sit on a board across the arms of a chair. I do remember that the scissors must have been a bit dull-ish as it seemed some hair was pulled out rather than cut. I know by first grade I was getting a buzz cut as all my pictures from that era showed me with really short hair. So, I guess you can say I’ve come full circle today as I’m back to buzz cuts and have been for a spell.
My first “real” barber was Lefty Nevel in St. Petersburg. Lefty’s shop was diagonal from the Pines Inn and straight across from the post office in St. Pete. The town at one time put an old jail on Lefty’s site on the corner. It was a short stroll from the grade school and probably cost me $0.50. I was probably wearing a part on the left side of my head by then. I remember a green tonic and waiting for my turn on a long, hard bench with ‘Sports Afield’ magazines. The bench became harder and more uncomfortable after about 15 minutes of sitting. My Grandpa Master picked me up to take me home. He sometimes too got a haircut on what little hair he had remaining. I don’t recall Lefty giving anything I would call a ‘stylized’ haircut.
My next barber was a fellow named Charlie Chadman in Lamartine (Salem Township). Chadman’s shop was in the dip after making a right-hand turn off Turkey City Road. Again, my grandpa provided transportation until I was old enough to drive myself. I believe Chadman opened his business because Lefty Nevel had retired, but Chadman had the same “gift of gab” that seemed prominent with every barber I ever went to. I got my first ‘flat top’ with Butch Wax from Charlie Chadman.
I’m not sure when or why Chadman closed up, but I moved to Tommy Kurtzhal on Main Street in Knox. I think I was doing the side-part thing at that time. Tommy had a daughter my age who eventually married a fraternity brother (Bud Schmader from Lucinda) and they moved to Myrtle Beach, SC. Jeannie passed away about two years ago from a bout with cancer. Jeannie was a lovely lady and good friend. Her dad was a terrific barber.
When I was in college, I walked up town to Roger’s on Main Street, not far from the Loomis Hotel and restaurant. Once though, I did do a buzz cut at Reinsel’s down near the Garby Theater. I never went to a barber when I was teaching in Kutztown. On one occasion I went to a stylist at the Berkshire Mall outside Reading. When I returned to graduate school at CUP, I was letting my hair grow longer (as was the custom at that time) and my haircuts were less frequent. A friend of the family, an ex-cosmetologist named Marian Burrell, cut my hair for my wedding—short, with a side left part.
Then, I was at the mercy of stylists in Glassboro, NJ. Rita worked at the shop my wife used and I followed suit. I don’t recall ever using or searching for a barber in South Jersey.
After our move to Indiana, PA, I had no problem in finding a ‘barber.’ One shop at the Indiana Mall had three; another was located on seventh street; a third was on Philadelphia Street before he retired. I hit each place at least once. The wife of a softball teammate had her own shop and cut my hair maybe twice (she was adept at giving my teammates mullets which I refused to do). Finally, a fellow opened a shop on Philadelphia near the west end of town; I returned to the flat-top and I was golden even with the move to Grove City.
Grove City proved no problem for a haircut. I tried a guy by the theater in GC, but found another (Tom) down the street who I liked better. He gave me a superior flat top, using just eyesight, no grid as a guide. He sold his house to a developer down near SRU, got divorced, closed up shop, and moved to Florida near his folks. Bummer!
That’s when I turned to self-cut. I myself bought electric shears at Wal-Mart and wondered why I hadn’t done that 40 years ago. I would have saved so much money and aggravation! Of course, I had a partner who didn’t think much of my motivation.
Now, I’ve come full cycle on a return to buzz cuts! I do most of the cutting every few weeks (month or so) and get an aide to trim me up. Viola! Shorn and ready to go.
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