Barber Glen Cole, who's been at Wedgewood Barber Shop since 1962, uses the clippers on customer Bob Unland. When Cole started working at the shop, haircuts weer $1.50, but these days, $10 cuts are in favor with customers.
Business Spotlight: Old school embraces new school
By Nancy S. Chappell
Posted online
The Wedgewood Barber Shop is a Springfield old-timer, providing haircuts, trims and shaves at its original location on South Campbell Avenue just north of Sunshine Street since 1954.
The shop’s longevity, the loyalty of regular customers and tradition of basic haircuts at a good price has kept the shop open through thick and thin. A remodel by owner Linda Kelly, which preserved the original barbershop feel, and the hiring of younger barbers to round out the staff keeps the business relevant today, according to those who work there.
When Kelly bought the shop in 2004, she already owned and operated Wedgewood Salon behind the barbershop. Landlord and longtime Wedgewood barber Harvey Howard had bought and sold the barbershop twice in an effort to find an effective owner and manager.
“So many of (my) clients’ … husbands went there,” she says. “It was very much local business, and so they were concerned that it was going to close.”
Although it was holding on with loyal customers and staff, Kelly was concerned that the shop’s appearance would affect her own business.
Kelly estimates that she spent $30,000 in cleaning and repairs, including reupholstering the 1950s-era barber chairs in their original color. The shop’s longtime customers and staff appreciated the changes. “I received a lot of comments and thanks for cleaning the place up,” Kelly says.
Kelly’s remodel brought in some new clientele, as did the tough economy.
“During this economy, the $10 haircuts are a big draw,” Kelly says. “Most of the other (shops) have gone to $11 to $13. Since the economy has had problems, we are seeing a lot of new faces.”
Jim Lewis has been getting his monthly haircut at Wedgewood Barber Shop, 1711 S. Campbell Ave., for 47 years and has witnessed the ups and downs of the business.
“Ten or 15 years ago, guys started going to the lady shops,” he says. “Now, it’s come back. I think those shops charge more. And that’s when guys were wearing long hair.”
The new faces at Wedgewood Barber Shop, which is open for walk-ins six days a week, include a younger clientele trying out older styles.
“Younger kids ask for different (haircuts), but you have a lot of younger guys wearing flattops,” Kelly says.
Glen Cole has been a barber at the shop since 1962, when haircuts were $1.50. Of course, Kelly considers Cole and Howard Springfield’s flattop experts.
“We’re busier now than we have been in two or three years,” Cole says.
The barbershop’s veteran duo has taught the younger barbers how to cut flattops. In return, the shop’s younger barbers teach the older guys about newer styles like the “chin strap” and the “faux-hawk.”
Wayne Marcum, who has worked at the shop for four years and points out his 58-year age difference with Cole, says he has learned much more than how to do a flattop from the older barbers.
“I think it’s one of the best things about this shop, because we’ve got the old school meets the new school,” Marcum says. “They taught us tricks, and we teach them the new haircuts. … We get along great. I get to see the way other people look at life.”
Marcum also points out that younger guys also like to try out the straight-razor shaves just to say they’ve had one.
Kelly’s business strategy is to build on the shop’s loyal base of clients and staff, maintaining it as a “man’s” shop, keeping prices and waiting times low, and relying on volume.
In 2009, Wedgewood Barber Shop generated $175,000 in revenues, which Kelly says is up by 25 percent since she became owner.
Kelly is pleased with the team she has in place, which gives the shop a wide draw. “With Harvey and Glenn both being here so long, (the shop) has a tremendous following,” she says. “By adding new barbers we now have a range in age from mid-20s to 80.”[[In-content Ad]]
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