Andy Romano, owner of Andy’s Barber Shop at 26 Lake St. in Owego, N.Y. gets ready to cut the hair of Larry Blinn, a customer for 20 years. Several generations of families have walked through the front door of Andy’s since 1969. (Photos by JoAnn R. Walter)
“Lynn the Barber,” or Lynn Rea, owner of Lynn’s Barber Shop at 138 Main St. in Owego, N.Y., cuts the hair of customer Sam Doak of Apalachin. Rea’s grandfather, Orin and neighbor, Harry Van Zandt, were both barbers in Waverly, N.Y., and Lynn’s Barber Shop premiered in 1964.
Ah-Wa-Ga Barber Shop, located at 177 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. has the longest running barber pole of four barbers in Owego. Charlie cut hair at what was the Ahwaga Hotel in the late 1950’s.
In downtown Owego, N.Y. visitors will find a familiar sign, one significant feature of history that helps lend a certain charm, and one, unfortunately, that you might not find as often. The revolving barber pole in the United States, typically seen with festive stripes of red, white and blue and attached to the outside of store fronts, has been a well-known symbol of barbers for generations. The origins of the red and white barber pole can be traced back to medieval times, and in Owego, the barber trade continues at four locations.
At 26 Lake St., barber Andy Romano has been in business since October 1969. Add two more years of experience from a shop in Ithaca and three years while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, and that adds up to a considerable amount of hair cutting.
Several generations of families have walked through the front door of Andy’s Barber Shop, which boasts a birds-eye view of Lake Street. Romano spoke fondly of stores like McLean’s, Endicott Johnson shoe store, and others, which brought many business people to downtown. Those were the days, explained Romano, when he, “Saw a lot of suits walking up and down the street.”
Hanging on the wall above the customer seating area is a 1987 painting of Andy’s Barber Shop by local artist Bob Merwin, a treasure which represents a piece of history, since the building itself has housed barbers as far back as 100 years ago.
Romano shared that one of his most challenging requests was a young man who wanted his hair cut in a checkerboard pattern, yet his many years of experience in the trade accomplished the detail, after plenty of patience.
Just a few blocks west of Andy’s is Lynn’s Barber Shop, located at 138 Main St. Lynn Rea came to Owego in 1962 and first worked at a barber shop on North Avenue next to the Community Shop, and shortly after started his own business.
Rea’s grandfather, Orin, and neighbor Harry Van Zandt were both barbers at the Terminal Barber Shop then located on Broad Street in Waverly, where Rea grew up. In 1961, Rea’s parents gave him a ticket – a ticket south to attend the Philadelphia Institute of Barbering. While bunking at a YMCA, he recalls living on about $20 per week, and remembers a good meal at the Farmer’s Market was only 75 cents, which included a 10-cent tip.
Pictured is Gary Stilson, owner of Gary’s Barber Shop on North Avenue in Owego. Like many barbers, Stilson was passed the barber torch by his father, Lloyd, who originally owned the business starting in 1957.
In 1964, Rea found himself serving less customers looking for a “GI haircut,” once young men started growing their hair longer after the Beatles invasion. Rea said that one of his most challenging requests was from a young boy who asked Rea to cut away hair on the back of his head to create the name “Shaq,” when professional basketball player Shaquille O’Neal was a star on the court.
A framed photo in Rea’s shop shows a rack of mugs hanging on a wall directly behind about seven barbers working at their chairs, a memory of barber duties of the past, when barbers were busy shaving customers in addition to cutting hair.
“Everyone had their own shaving mug and brush,” Rea explained, and mugs were often decorated with a symbol representing a customer’s profession.
Customers will notice an antique barber chair in Rea’s shop, with “Chicago” etched in the foot rest. “The chair is more than 100 years old, it dates back to the teens or just before 1920,” Rea said, during the same period of shaving mugs.
Regarding the art of barbering, Rea explained, “It’s a wonderful occupation. You don’t make a lot of money, but you meet a lot of good people.”
The day this writer visited Rea’s shop, he sported a professional blue apron and spoke proudly of his profession as he cut the hair of a customer. Two other customers waiting their turns, Art Cacciola and Leon Osborne, both from Candor, have been customers of “Lynn the Barber” for many years.
Charlie Underwood (seated) and son, Jim Underwood, pose in their shop, Ah-Wa-Ga Barber Shop, located at 177 Front St. in Owego, N.Y. Charlie’s barber pole has been revolving since 1956, the longest of all four barbers in Owego.
Art shared that his first regular cut was in 1975, and like many residents of communities with no barbershops, both Cacciola and Osborne like the fact that Owego still has them.
On North Avenue is Gary’s Barber Shop, owned by Gary Stilson. Stilson’s father, Lloyd, and uncle, Ray, started the business in 1957 in a building that once housed Skinnard’s, a store that was opened prior to World War II and closed about 1954.
Like many barbers, Lloyd Stilson worked long hours, opening his shop at 6 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m., making a 25 mile trek to Owego from Chemung, N.Y. Now deceased, Lloyd Stilson, a WWII veteran who cut hair as early as age 12 told a story to his family about being asked to cut hair while stationed in North Africa. To his surprise, the customer was a famous general at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower. While in the barber chair, the story goes that the future President was carrying on a meeting with personnel about the proposed invasion of Sicily, getting up several times to point to a map.
After attending barber school in Syracuse, along with two years of master barber apprenticeship, Gary Stilson started business in 1975. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. Navy for nearly seven years, and was a combat medic in Vietnam.
Today, Stilson raised a concern that there doesn’t seem to be as much interest from young people to carry on the trade. With no barbers to “pass the torch” to, it could possibly result in some longstanding barbershops folding in future years.
Back toward the Court Street Bridge at 177 Front St. is Ah-Wa-Ga Barber Shop. Inside you’ll find the father and son team of Charlie and Jim Underwood. Charlie’s barber pole has been revolving the longest of all four barbers in Owego. Starting his barber business in 1956, Charlie’s son has been there for 39 of those years. Several shop location changes have occurred, although the current spot has the best view of the Court Street Bridge.
When you walk through the front door of Ah-Wa-Ga, customers are greeted by several mounted animals, including moose, caribou and sheep from a 1973 excursion to the Yukon and Alaska, as well as deer and other antlers from Montana and New Mexico. Also from New Mexico is a 1992 framed photograph of Charlie with his friend, Bill Farnham, and standing in between them is legendary country music star Johnny Cash. Call it being in the right place at the right time, Charlie said, “Johnny talked to us for a good five minutes or more.”
Eighty-two year old Charlie, an Army veteran, has scaled back on his schedule, working only two days per week, and besides his love of hunting and meeting Cash, shared a fond memory of cutting hair at what was the historic Ahwaga Hotel in the late 1950’s. But, he’ll still keep getting dressed up to go to work as long as he can, despite the fact that his beloved dog prefers when he doesn’t.
