Sometimes I think everything I really need to know I learned in Ron's barbershop. Gentry's local barber, Ron Young, is what I would call a closet optimist. And, yes, he hides it well. For instance, according to Ron, marriage is the leading cause of divorce. Somehow, I doubt Ron is as down on marriage as he talks.
One thing's for sure: Ron has been cutting hair for a long time and has seen a lot of changes in the barbering business. Time was when a barber had regular customers who came in on a regular basis and they all got regular haircuts. Things were fairly predictable. Nowadays, there are all sorts of hairstyles and, worst of all, there is competition from beauty parlors. The sad truth is, Ron says, those beauty parlor ladies have not been trained in how to cut a man's hair. At least not the way a barber would cut it.
Ron can expound at length on the point, and when Ron uses the word "beautician," it sounds like something sleazy or evil, or at least something that needs to be avoided like the plague. Every now and then, one of Ron's customers will take a chance and get his hair cut at a beauty parlor. When Ron has to fix the man's hair, I can assure you there will be no more straying on the part of that customer.
Another sort of customer presents a challenge to Ron and all barbers: the customer who rarely comes in. Ron tells of one customer who walked into his shop with a beard down to his waist in the front and his hair down to his waist in back. He told Ron to cut it all off.
"You want me to cut it all off?" Ron asked."Yeah," said the customer, "Just give me a buzz and cut my beard so short that I can shave when I get home."
Ron cut all his hair off and trimmed his beard down to almost nothing. He said he had a pile of hair knee deep on the floor when he was finished. The customer paid for his haircut and left the shop. In a few minutes he came back in the shop looking kind of sheepish.
"Do you think I could use your telephone?" he asked.
"What's the problem?" asked Ron.
"I've got to call someone to come pick me up. My dog won't let me in the car."
So I guess if you're needing to reinvent yourself, Ron's barbershop would be a good place to start.
Over the years, Gentry has had its share of colorful figures. Glen Smith is probably one of those people. There is a sign in Ron's window that says, "Private Sign, Do Not Read."
I believe that sign was put there by Glen Smith. I do not advise anyone to either read or not to read it, but I can verify that the sign is in the window.
Another colorful figure that you might hear stories about in the barbershop is Ross Wilmoth. At one time Ross (now deceased) and his brother Amos owned a café in Gentry. This would have been back in the late '40s. Back then there were no big box stores or the many restaurants you see now to occupy people's time. Most everyone waited until Saturday to come to town and do their shopping, get a haircut, or maybe a bite to eat, or perhaps take in a movie at the local theatre.
In those days the local stores didn't close as early as they do now and the Wilmoth brothers' café was open late. These brothers prided themselves on being able to make any kind of sandwich a customer might order. It didn't matter how exotic or outlandish the request; they claimed to be able to make it. I believe their deal was that, if they couldn't make any sandwich a customer ordered, then they would have to give the customer $5. One night around midnight Amos had to call his brother Ross who was home in bed.
"Ross, I've got a customer here that's ordered a sandwich I can't make. We're going to have to give him the five bucks."
"Is that so? So what did he order anyway?"
"He ordered an elephant ear sandwich and I can't make him one," said Amos.
"Well why not," asked Ross, "there's a bunch of elephant ears in the freezer!"
"Yeah, I know that," said Amos, "but we're out of bread!"
Now folks, I don't know about y'all, but I think that's colorful. Nowadays, if you're looking for a little bit of local color, you're likely to find it in Ron's barbershop. Just don't read the sign in the window!
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry area resident who has been gardening from his youth. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/12/2015