Barber Quest

It's important to have a regular barber, to have a relationship with the person who cuts your hair. For a long time I was a regular at the Cornell Barber Shop in Ithaca. It was convenient, as generally I've worked nearby. The haircuts and the atmosphere were good. However, the guys cutting hair there either retired or moved on. Some younger guys moved in. The same atmosphere of good customer service just wasn't there. For example,  I can pretty much guarantee that I don't want to know about my barber's sex life. And if you're talking on your cell phone while cutting my hair, I'm gonna be annoyed. Yes, please don't curse, my kid's here.

So I've kinda floated around to different shops in recent years, never finding one I really liked. During that period, I came across Joel at Gene's in Lansing. Now Gene's is kind of a Lansing institution. Both my wife's grandfathers went there for haircuts. This is actually the shop I got my hair cut at for my wedding 12 years ago. It might have been Gene that cut my hair then, but I can't be sure. Now Gene has retired, but the place is still going.

Joel's got all of the elements of a great barber. First and foremost he can cut hair well. My hair is not hard to cut, clipper cut with a #2 on the side and back and a #3 on top. But to do it right is part art and part science, and not all barbers have this skill. They get the technical part, but they're missing that certain something that makes a good cut, great. Back to Joel. He remembers who you are. He remembers The Young Man and has full independent conversations with him about things like Star Wars. My conversations with Joel are really good. We can talk about interesting stuff, like music (punk bands), tattoos, and cars. With have both learned about good bands from one another. So thanks Joel, and I'll see you soon.