‘You Grow it, I’ll Mow it!’
The sign in the window reads: “Seven Bucks a Whack.” Darlene Robinett, owner of
the newly opened barbershop adds, “You grow it, I’ll mow it.”
Located in Portland, OR, at 8321 N. Denver Ave., next to Kenton Family Hair Care,
Seven Bucks a Whack is following the time-honored tradition of locating a barbershop
next to a beauty parlor. Most of her customers come in while their wives are having a
wash and set. Others make the long drive from her previous shop in Southeast
Portland.
“This is my third barbershop in 10 years,” Robinett explains.
The first one, located in the Clifford hotel, burned down in a fire. Robinett clipped hair
on a street corner for a few weeks until moving into her second storefront. She lost
her lease several years later. Faced with another move, Robinett decided to shift the
business North, closer to home. She lives on a houseboat on Hayden Island.
“I was driving through downtown and I saw the For Rent sign,” she says over the
burr of clippers. “You know what they say – third times’s a charm.”
Her new location has always been a barbershop, but the antiquated fixtures, plumbing
and structural problems in the storefront necessitated a major remodeling before she
could open for business. Today the narrow shop is well-lit and comfortable. Patrons
can sit in one of two 1927 barber chairs. “I love the place,” Robinett says. “Its the
same size as the first shop I had. It’s like coming home again.”
Robinett has been cutting hair for 35 years, even during her time working in the
Seattle shipyards. “I’ve always had my hands in hair. It’s what I do best.” At 62, she
has no plans of retiring. “I’m not done yet. I’ve only just begun.”
Copyright © RichWriting - All Rights Reserved
The sign in the window reads: “Seven Bucks a Whack.” Darlene Robinett, owner of
the newly opened barbershop adds, “You grow it, I’ll mow it.”
Located in Portland, OR, at 8321 N. Denver Ave., next to Kenton Family Hair Care,
Seven Bucks a Whack is following the time-honored tradition of locating a barbershop
next to a beauty parlor. Most of her customers come in while their wives are having a
wash and set. Others make the long drive from her previous shop in Southeast
Portland.
“This is my third barbershop in 10 years,” Robinett explains.
The first one, located in the Clifford hotel, burned down in a fire. Robinett clipped hair
on a street corner for a few weeks until moving into her second storefront. She lost
her lease several years later. Faced with another move, Robinett decided to shift the
business North, closer to home. She lives on a houseboat on Hayden Island.
“I was driving through downtown and I saw the For Rent sign,” she says over the
burr of clippers. “You know what they say – third times’s a charm.”
Her new location has always been a barbershop, but the antiquated fixtures, plumbing
and structural problems in the storefront necessitated a major remodeling before she
could open for business. Today the narrow shop is well-lit and comfortable. Patrons
can sit in one of two 1927 barber chairs. “I love the place,” Robinett says. “Its the
same size as the first shop I had. It’s like coming home again.”
Robinett has been cutting hair for 35 years, even during her time working in the
Seattle shipyards. “I’ve always had my hands in hair. It’s what I do best.” At 62, she
has no plans of retiring. “I’m not done yet. I’ve only just begun.”
Copyright © RichWriting - All Rights Reserved
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