By Jason Gabak
Editor
For 62 years Ron Girard has been cutting hair, running his own barbershop in Baldwinsville and getting to know the many people who have sat in his chair.
Nearing his 79th birthday, Girard has decided it is time to retire. On April 25, Girard is planning to close his long-running shop at 47 Downer St. on the corner of Canton Street for the last time.
“I’m almost 79,” Girard said. “I’ve been doing this for 62 years and I’d probably keep doing it, but the arthritis in my shoulder is getting to the point where I can’t anymore. I’d probably stay in for a few more years, but at 79, you never know, and I decided maybe it was time to retire and enjoy the next few years with my wife.”
Girard’s career stretches back over six decades with 59 of those years spent at the same location in Baldwinsville.
“It is a good community,” Girard said. “I’ve been really happy to work here all these years and get to know so many people.”
Girard, who originally hails from Messina, said his parents moved when he was 10 and he has called the Baldwinsville area home ever since.
From an early age, Girard knew what he wanted to do. When his brother asked him one day if Girard wanted to go to go to barber school with him, Girard said he jumped at the chance.
“I always wanted to be a barber. It was just something I knew I wanted to do,” Girard said. “My brother asked me if I wanted to go to barber school with him and we did in Syracuse and I went to school during the day and cut hair and went to barber school in the afternoon and evening. It was just what I always wanted to do.”
Soon after finishing barber school, Girard and his brother opened the shop together in Baldwinsville.
During his long career, Girard said he has seen a lot of trends and styles come and go and for better or worse he has also seen a lot of changes in the barbering business.
One moment in time seems to be epochal in the world of men’s hairstyles and likely led to changes for many barbers including Girard.
“The whole business changed in the 1960s around the time of The Beatles and their long hair,” Girard said. “That really changed a lot of things in the business and for a lot of barber shops.”
As more men began to wear longer hairstyles, Girard said more traditional barber shops found themselves with less work or competing with stylists which were becoming more popular among both men and women as styles changed.
Girard also saw other shifts in barbering.
When he went to barber school for example he said there were two schools in Syracuse, but now both are closed.
There were also multiple barber shops in Baldwinsville, with plenty of customers to go around, but now traditional barbershops in general are less common.
“There have been a lot of changes over the years,” he said.
Though they started the business together, Girard said there came a point where they wasn’t enough work for Girard and his brother, who eventually left barbering to pursue other career interests.
“We had a lot of customers for a long time then there just wasn’t enough for two of us,” Girard said.
But in recent years there has been a shift as many younger people are seeking out the traditional barbershop experience and styles, something Girard said he has noticed, but much of his customer base is still made up of people he has served for, in some cases, decades.
“I’ve had a lot of customers for a long time,” Girard said. “Some people I’ve been cutting their hair for all these years. Some times four generations of the same family I’ve been cutting their hair.”
These days, Girard said he usually only keeps his shop open until around noon each day before heading home.
But as he prepares to retire, he said there are definitely things he will miss.
“I’ll miss the people,” Girard said. “I like going down and opening the shop and seeing the customers and shooting the breeze. I’ve got to know a lot of people and I’ll miss the people.”
Girard said after closing he plans to spend more time with his wife and possibly doing some traveling.
