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The History of the Barber Shop
2/5/2015
Barber shops may seem like a dying bread today, but up until the 1940s, they were incredibly popular. They acted as a social center for men, and they were just as popular as bars as far as gathering places go. While barbers may not offer as many services as hairstylists, the atmosphere and camaraderie that men felt when gathering at the barber shop was unmatched anywhere else. Some men would even stop in to chat even when they didn’t need a haircut or a shave.
Barber shops were very meticulously cleaned and decorated during this golden age. They often featured gleaming marble countertops and shiny, spotless mirrors. The barber chairs were very elegant and elaborate. Some were made from fine woods like walnut and oak and were then covered with comfortable leather upholstery. Even the signs were done in an artistic style that was eye-catching. And, of course, every barbershop had a barber’s pole outside. Everyone knew what that striped pole meant.
The smell of a barbershop mixed hair tonic, oils, shaving cream, cigarette smoke, and pipe smoke together to create a unique scent that just can’t be recreated anywhere else. The smells seeped into the wood of the shop, and every man would recognize the scent of his favorite barber anywhere.
But in 1904, the barber industry started to decline thanks to Gillette—the company introduced the first safety razor to the market, and suddenly, men could get a great shave at home without worrying about cutting themselves. During World War I, the government even provided troops with these razors. They caught on, and some men stopped going to the barber shop. This was followed by the introduction of at-home haircutting tools, which also weakened the industry. Later, hairstyles changed, and men started wearing their hair longer.
All of these things combined to cause a number of barbershops to close, and while there are still a few here and there, they’re nothing like they used to be.
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