Thursday, March 31, 2011

Barber Shop Nostalgia.

It seems every time I go down to South Jersey to see my Dad, I encounter someone from my childhood.
And of late, I've been indulging in nostalgia.

About two weeks ago I took my Dad to get a haircut, at Joe Barca's shop, in the little town of Elmer.

A visit to Joe's Barber Shop is like stepping back into a Saturday Evening Post cover, from the late 1940s.

Joe is still cutting hair at the age of ninety four. When I was a youngster, he was my barber.

On the wall he proudly displays a picture of himself, as a dapper young pilot, during the second world war. But the image I will always remember from those visits to his shop, to get my "DA" trimmed, is the one below.

It's by the illustrator Paul Detlefsen, once famous for his idyllic scenes of country life.
I, of course, was the naive farm boy in the straw hat. I knew even then I wanted to be an artist.

This is is an illustration I did about a year ago, for a puzzle company. Most Illustrators I know, no matter
their age, are fueled by the child still lurking within.

And here is an image from two years ago of Joe and his son, Joey, who is the other barber in the shop.
Next time I'm in South Jersey, guess where I'll be getting my long-overdue haircut? 

7 comments:

  1. wonderful post!
    childhood memories...mine are of fetching ice cream for the family on sundays...
    I'm still fetching ice cream...
    Now for PBers!
    Is that you as a kid getting the haircut?
    Very fun post

    ReplyDelete
  2. What can I say?
    I'm awash in the past.
    More to come.
    Like the cowboy movies we made,
    at the local gravel pit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Missing you literally and figuratively..
    Come back to Postcards.
    Just COME BACK!!
    xxx cg

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ciao from Sicily (ITALY)
    I'm Silvio Calabro', I want to thank you for what you publish.
    Joe Barca is my uncle (my mother's brother). It 's nice to see him in the memories of others.
    He is always in contact with my mother. It's a great person. They had 11 children.
    Half live in the States and half in Italy. They have a fascinating story divided between two continents, one day write a book. Thanks again William Thomas Ternay

    Regards

    ReplyDelete
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