Life change

[Catherine+twins]

Nice part about barber shops, is the build outs don't have to be incredibly elaborate....a sink, a shampoo bowl, and a few mirrors is all it takes...

How about a mobile barber shop in a teardrop. You could take it downtown like the sandwich trucks. It would be for the guys who rather get a quick cut during the work day. You could maybe have a brick-n-mortar and do the barber-on-wheels once a week or so. ...just a thought.

Todah

I was wondering about that. My older brother's first SO did something like this. She rented a chair/booth in a shop for a couple of years, but didn't like the atmosphere or run-around, so as soon as she had a few regulars and some word of mouth she took it on the road. She went to her customers' homes for cuts, did wedding parties (styles and make-up), and had a regular route of senior centers and assisted living centers. (She was in Denver, so she had a large area to build on.) She was making a comfortable living without any brick-and-mortar presence or a chair rental.

Good luck with your new direction! (I'm 52 and fix computers, but even the super computers are coming with more disposable parts OR are so specialized that only the guys who build them can fix them. I hope my job sticks around until I can retire!)

Catherine

[bonnie]

I was laid off from a tech job at 50. Found another one before the severance ran out. Will not be sorry to leave the working world. I like the mobile hair chair idea. Catherine that's brilliant. I read somewhere that a woman had renovated a TAB trailer to hold a piano and gave lessons in the same fashion.

[GerryS]

I worked a family run shop for 31 years 3rd generation ran it in to the ground. I left on my own 10years ago best move I ever made.
Ken

It's sad to hear when 2 generations of work gets flushed like that. The last 30 years haven't been good to the profession. Ever sine the hippies started growing long hair.

Regardless of what I do, I think that's changing. Places like V's barbershop, the chop shop in Louisville, reds in down town Indy; were seeing a seed change. Men going back to more manly places. Even the chains have noticed the trend. Look at sport clips. It's still a warmed over great clips with an abundance of cosmetologists, not barbers.

Time will tell

[GerryS]

Mobile chair has been discussed. I'm not sure how the licensing board would look at that. Maybe. But definitely in an RV and not a trailer. 50+ gallons of water eek. Gettin heavy!

I'm sad to say I talked to my local shop about apprenticing with him. I think I was lucky not to be asked not to return. He was protective of his method. Fine. I respect that. He didn't want me opening up next to him. He said he had been screwed by others he taught.

Fine. Now I feel no compunction about opening next to him at some point in the future. In still looking and am hoping to take some classes by Ivan Zoot, on the the fastest cutters....in fact THE fastest cutter. He's got 3 Guinness book plaques on his wall.

I just need to start throwing some mannequin heads at the problem....

In truly sad the guy who inspired me to get licensed turned out to be a bit paranoid and willing to let his knowledge die. He's not a spring chicken.

[alaska teardrop]

I wish you luck, Gerry, in whatever that you decide, but wouldn't feel qualified to give you advice. I've always worked at two or three different trades at any given time, depending on the season. Mostly for the chance of adventure, freedom & living in special places.

Ever sine the hippies started growing long hair.

This statement cracks me up, because I haven't seen a barber since the sixties.

Fred

[GerryS]

Glad it made some one laugh....too many people take life WAY too seriously. Including me.

But in all honesty, ever since the trend became longer hair for men in the late 60's, its been very difficult to be a barber. Although, as I said, I think that trend may be reversing. I've seen more new shops that are modeled after the "Floyd's Barber shop" in the past few years... Time will tell.

I'm still seriously bummed out the guy who gave me the idea is so protective of his knowledge (and really, he isn't the best in the world --- while I'll let him cut my hair, its only a decent cut --- not a "good" one) --- an untrained eye probably wouldn't see the difference. But the curse of being trained is that you can spot a bad cut a mile away.