A few days ago I had a delightful experience at Lucky’s Barber Shop in Concord, NH. Over the years I have tried various barber experiences. Given that, since 1992 I’ve had to keep my hair close-cropped, a barber is a fairly big deal. Upon leaving the military in 1997 I started a career in state police, along with enlarging my family by two. This required me to watch the finances closely so, “the barber” was my lovely wife. For nearly 20 years she would cut my hair - well, she would cut the back while I did my best to get the front. That worked great for as long as it lasted and saved me $20-$25 every two weeks or so. Might not seem like much but, when you’re making do with short money it counts.
Retirement came and now I can let my hair hang down, literally. The search for a barber began and recently I discovered Lucky’s. It’s an old style shop on a residential street in Concord. Reservations are made on-line and that includes payment (and tip). My first trip taught me that the barbers may or may not be full-time. It looks like they come and go as the reservations are made. While I was in for a trim, a couple of other barbers came in for what appeared to be prior reservations. The shop has 8 or 10 chairs - all old-style - and the motif is old, or maybe they’d call it seasoned. When you enter, if your barber is a couple of minutes late (or you’re early), you walk to the back and have a seat. The walls are festooned with various old art. There are books and magazines, some that appeared to be as old as I am. Once my barber arrived - sorry I don’t remember his name right now - he called my name and off I went to have a seat. The cut took about 30 minutes while the barber made small talk. No politics or other discomforts, just barber-style chat about what was going on. The guy asked me what I wanted and delivered. When it was over he cleaned me up, took off my “smock” and off I went. Pleasant and easy. Cost me about $35. Not bad for a place that took my mind back a few years. Back to a place where guys could go, have a seat and get a hair cut in a quiet place on a residential street, talk if you like or just sit there quietly. No frills, just nostalgia.
Anyway, try it out if you' find yourself in Concord, NH. I’d give you the address but I can’t think of it right now. Ask Mr. Internet, he’ll find it. Happy hair cut :)