Main Street Memories – The Barbers of Bennington in the 1950′s
I moved to Bennington in November of 1952 and one of the first things I had to do was get a haircut. I lived on School Street at the time so I just walked toward Main Street. The YMCA was on the corner of School and Main and just before that on the right, directly across from the Second Congregational Church Parsonage was the tonsorial establishment of Slick the Barber (there is a barber there to this day). So I went in and got my first Bennington haircut from Slick the Barber.
Slick’s real name was Roland Nesbigle. He was a card carrying character and loved to talk, alot. As I got into the big leather and chrome chair Slick immediately, realizing I was new in town or at least to his chair, started telling me of all the famous people he knew. Every few minutes Slick would leave the room where he was cutting my hair and go into another room in the back. He was only gone for a moment but when he came back to resume cutting my hair he had very distinctive breath. I was only 12 years old but I knew booze when I smelled it.
When he finished cutting my hair I paid him and left, feeling that I had been in the presence of a Very Important Person. I had just met the man who had taught Ted Williams how to hit a baseball and Johnny Weismuller how to swim!
As I got to know Bennington, I discovered other barbershops in the downtown area. At 520 Main Street, right next to Peter’s Ice Cream Shop, there was Toomey’s Barber Shop, owned and operated by one Bill Toomey. R.T. Martins Real Estate is presently located at this spot. Toomey’s had three chairs and many local barbers who would someday go out on their own worked there. Barbers like Roger Rowe and Andy Mattison. Roger Rowe took over Slick’s spot on School Street after Slick had gone on to that great barbershop in the sky. And later, Any Mattison established his own shop on the second floor of what is now Hoisington Realty.
I liked Toomey’s because of the distinctive barber shop smell of witch hazel and Barbasol. That and the chatter of the customers with the barbers when they were waiting to be served on a busy Saturday morning.
Another popular barber shop was on the other end of town in the Putnam Hotel Block. It was located at 357 West Main Street and was the shop of Bob Cummings. Bob’s son (also Bob) is a longtime practicing attorney here in Bennington. This shop is presently operated by Gary Jones. Being the Hotel block was important to business because customers could walk from the lobby of the hotel (right past the Western Union desk) to Bob’s shop. In those days Bob would stay open until 11:00 on a Saturday night to serve his customers. Bob took over the shop in 1922 when it was in the American Hotel down on North Street. And Gary Jones, who started working for Bob in 1971, took over ownership of the shop in 1978. At one time, this shop had five chairs.
Other barber shops in downtown Bennington in the 1950s were Ray Crosier’s at 110 North Street; Pearly Gates at 731 East Main Street (at the corner of Morgan Street); Ernie’s (Rousseau) at 133 North Street and Ketchum’s at 620 Main Street. Also over Pleasant Street in the Leader Block was the shop of George Foucher. George (who I have also heard referred to as “Georgie Hogan”) was, as far as I know, the only barber who made house calls. You could see him walking along the streets of Bennington with his little black bag in one hand and a stool in the other hand. The stool was necessary because George was quite short. Also, there was Merrill Pleasant who was located on School Street and Union Street over the years.
And now, you can count the Barber Shops of Bennington on one hand. Times have changed.
I wish to thank Gary Jones for his input for this article.
Tags: 1950s, barber shops, Bennington, Bennington VT, Main Street, Southern Vermont