Barber Joe

We Love you Barber Joe! Thank you for a lifetime of service and kindness. You have been a fixture and a Hayward institution. You left on YOUR terms and didn’t take shit from anybody. Your empty shop is a sad reminder that you are gone … We will see you around buddy!

Barber Joe February 29^th, 1932 — November 18^th, 2011. We will treasure your stories, your wealth of Hayward Tales, your piles of National Geographics. Magazines, Smithsonian Magazines and Playboy Magazines… Love and miss you, Dad… Was the best lil’ Barbershop B Street will ever have…

He’s gone! No more. He retired. I just drove by (after hearing the message when I called that the number was no longer in service) and indeed, the place is up for rent or lease.

Barber Joe is a great barber, and as far as I know a good man. I admit I was apprehensive entering this place for the first time because this man was the the first man to cut my hair and I didn’t know what to expect. But it turned out great! Barber Joe will cut your hair well because he’s a professional. Not only does he have a wealth of experience in being a barber he is wealthy from experience in life and will share his stories. This is what people miss when they have to leave their hometown.
Barber Joe will from this point on will be the only person who cuts my hair as long as he’s in business. Haircuts are $ 14, I always pay $ 20.

Barber Joe’s can be spotted by it’s traditional swirling barber pole. The insides are relatively empty besides one cutting chair and other waiting chairs alternatively being metal and wood. The décor looks like it was helped out by the neighboring antiques stores.
I’m assuming that the guy who works there is named Joe. He’s pretty nice and chats it up. I find that the older barbers cut more with the scissors than the electric razor. This gives a softer finish. Plus these barbers have a more classic style than others.
What I really didn’t expect coming was the shaving cream and razor blade. Joe did the sides of my head with a razor. I can really feel the difference. It’s so clean and sharp.
Even though I felt Joe did a great job, when I came back home I realized I needed to touch up my side burns — nothing drastic. This was a bit odd because it felt like he was keeping a close eye to detail.
Another oddity is that I realized that I had none of my own hair trimmings left on my shirt nor face; yet, there was a flurry of white hair trimmings as if a cat named «Snowball» sat on my shoulder. This was kinda gross. It leaves me to believe the Joe’s clientele is to be of the senior variety.
Solid place to go. A bit too steep at $ 14 a haircut.