My station.

[bmharold]

I figured this doesn't really qualify as a shave den, so I would post it here. Maybe you guys would be interested. It's a repost of some pictures I posted to a barber forum. This is my station at work.

Note that the condition of the stations is a little lackluster. The shop was founded in 1955 the stations were purchased new the same year from Koken, manufactured in Chicago, IL by Union Carpenters as evidenced by the proud stamps on visible on the backs of each section. The current owner bought the shop three years ago, and has done a ton of work. The floors, and stations are the last items waiting to be done. (plumbing, wiring, and fixtures are already updated). I hope she does decide to restore them. The old stations are pretty cool, even if a little cramped.











There are a few things you can't see very well in the pictures hanging next to the sink in the first picture is an air hose with a blower gun attachment. There is a small toggle switch behind and above the sink I flip that kicks the compressor on so I can clean my tools out thoroughly. It's pretty quiet, and it is a personal addition I do not regret at all...so what do you guys think?

 

[Vlad]

That's freakin' cool! (we are male grooming geeks ) You should decorate with old shaving soap ads.

How often do you do shaves? What soap/cream do you use? What's in the bottles?

 

[bmharold]

That's freakin' cool! (we are male grooming geeks ) You should decorate with old shaving soap ads.

How often do you do shaves? What soap/cream do you use? What's in the bottles?

I won't do face shaves partly because the owner considers them a liability. I am self employed, so I can elect to do whatever I want, but on my side the stations are just too close together for me to feel comfortable doing it. Each hair cut gets a neck shave (excepting little kids obviously), and I do head shaves as well. I keep towels folded kitty-corner in that first cabinet next to my disposable neck towels for just that. As for shaving cream I use Arko in a Campbell's Latherking with a little bit of glycerin added in. The bottles are from American Science and Surplus, the copper nipples I made myself and put through the corks. From left to right there is Clubman, Witch Hazel, and Jeris Tonic, the fourth one is empty in the pic. It usually has Bay Rum in it. The three little ones in front are Johnny B. AM, NOON, and PM. PM is my favorite and everyone else too it seems.

A note, since I forgot to mention it, the little white porcelain cup on the sink has my talc in it so I can just dab a little on the end of my neck duster. Something we do at my shop I've never seen elsewhere..and all the stuff on the station is mine even the clipper holder so I can answer any questions you have about any of it.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Harold:
Nice station you have there considering the issues you've mentioned, but how about a pic of your barber chair?

"Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut [or shave]". Daniel S. Greenberg

 

[BBrad]

Nice!!

 

[bmharold]

Harold:
Nice station you have there considering the issues you've mentioned, but how about a pic of your barber chair?

"Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut [or shave]". Daniel S. Greenberg

CHAIR! I don't like the upholstery, but my original chair died and we lucked on two of these for $1,000.00 USD even + 6% Sales Tax. Not bad IMHO. They could use some chroming and reupholstered, but that puts you in well under what a lot of people want. Take it from a barber, if some dude wants $5,000.00 for a chair it better be real special..

 

[lowjax]

Very cool pics.

 

[bmharold]

Very cool pics.

Thanks, anything else you guys want to see? I am shocked noone noticed the old Oster Airjet hair dryer on the back bar. It's 60 years old, and I got it NOS..works great. If I was doing women's hair I wouldn't reccomend it, but for the two or three things I use it for it works great. Also, looks pretty damn cool.

 

[rebos]

Agreed. That hair dryer is a beauty. Nice station!

 

[bmharold]

Thanks guys. I've been thinking black subway tile in the back splash would be nice. As it stands it's just painted wood. Granite countertops would also be cool..but I am not paying so one piece at a time.

 

[lowjax]

Any wall decorations you can put up? I see a Grand Theft Auto poster in your mirror. Can you put up any Shaving/Old-School barber posters?

 

[bmharold]

The GTA poster was just to **** off the old guy on the other end. He's a half-cocked old blow hard who thinks he runs the shop and I do take such great pleasure in making him angry, TLR the GTA poster is temporary.

I am not big on the repro shaving/mens grooming ads, or the tetanus laden antique tools dangling from the walls. Around here it's either that crap, or sports junk, or even worse...all three and mite ridden stuff animal carcasses hanging everywhere too. Add about 2cm of dust and hair on everything and that gives you the general state of barbering with the old generation.

I would go into a tirade comparing this style of decorating to Cracker Barrel, TGI Fridays, Buffalo Wild Wings, etc..but I am just going to let it go for the sake of my own sanity and give you want you want....the shop's decorations.



2004 Winter Olympics torch. The guy who ran it through Charleston used to be a big, big fella..like 400+ pounds. He lost the weights and some civic organization honored this achievement by nominating him to run the torch. He took this great honor very lightly as he ran directly to All-N-One pawn and sold it for petty cash..hence why we have it now.



The ball is signed by the late Walter Peyton, the small Vikings helmet by Randy Moss (he's a local) and the small Browns helmet is Jim Brown. Under the TV which I did not take a picture on the wall itself is Bobby Dale Earnhardt's signature. Oldest grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., oldest son of Kerry, big brother to Jeff Earnhardt the Nationwide driver. He lives in the basement...seriously..he lives in the basement of the shop.

Here's his car out in front of the shop like a week ago.



Moving along we have the Major Harris signed helmet. No, not the guy from the Delfonics, the NCAA Hall of Fame WVU quarterback.



Finally, we have a void deposit slip for the amount of $400.00 made to some special division or another of Walt Disney Company at the Burbank branch of Bank of America signed by Walt Disney. He had a hell of a signature, to be sure. It would give guys in The Nib a chubby...unusual strokes.



These pictures are from a little while ago, excepting the one of the car. There have been a couple of additions since then. There are two Jake LaMotta signed Boxing magazines close to my station...and something that slips my mind ATM..not really important.

EDIT: There are a few other things around the shop, like articles from the local newspaper about the shop, or the original owner, but I didn't have pictures of those things handy. This was just the stuff that I had on my phone ATM.

 

[oc_in_fw]

.so what do you guys think?

Uh, pretty f'ing cool?

 

[bmharold]

Uh, pretty f'ing cool?

LOL, what part do you like most?

See, to me this is just work. I try to make my station as efficient and as visually appealing as I can. Sanitation is of course a must. This is how my station always looks if I can get more than a couple of minutes to clean up between cuts. If I can't it may look a mess, but the clean and dirty are always well separated. In the pic I just had the Hess Ezy Shave in the DeWitt sanitizer, but I have a Parker Shavette and a couple of conventionals I just picked up from an antique dealer. My concern with the Hess and the Parker are not with the blade, as it is with the conventional razors but even with proper prep and the utmost care occasionally blood is spilled even if only a tiny amount. As I see it if this gets on ANY part of the razor that is unacceptable as there could be some cross contamination even with the Hydrox. So I have been looking into the dry, glass bead sterilizers..not sure if I am going to commit yet or not. This isn't really a concern to you guys as hobbyist but this is the level to which I take what I do seriously.

I have avoided showing you guys close ups of the other stations because the other guys don't take this even an eighth as a seriously as I do, always be sure to give your barbers habits a good look over. Is he washing his hands? Are his tools dirty? Is the inside of his sanitizing jar clean? (i.e. no excess hair built up in the bottom), is he using actual disinfectant on his clipper blades (kool lube DOES NOT have disinfectant in it). The warning signs are obvious. Nasty stuff swims around in these shops..

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

LOL, what part do you like most?

See, to me this is just work. I try to make my station as efficient and as visually appealing as I can. Sanitation is of course a must. This is how my station always looks if I can get more than a couple of minutes to clean up between cuts.

I have avoided showing you guys close ups of the other stations because the other guys don't take this even an eighth as a seriously as I do, always be sure to give your barbers habits a good look over. Is he washing his hands? Are his tools dirty? Is the inside of his sanitizing jar clean? (i.e. no excess hair built up in the bottom), is he using actual disinfectant on his clipper blades (kool lube DOES NOT have disinfectant in it). The warning signs are obvious. Nasty stuff swims around in these shops..

Harold:
I like all of the shop’s memorabilia (which is so cool), and the shop could make a ‘mint’ if this stuff ever hit ‘the bay’.

And you’re right about sanitation (although I shave my own hair bald once a week), and food for thought for other B& B members to check-out their own barbers (thanx for the tips).

"Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut [or shave]". Daniel S. Greenberg

 

[bmharold]

Harold:
I like all of the shop’s memorabilia (which is so cool), and the shop could make a ‘mint’ if this stuff ever hit ‘the bay’.

And you’re right about sanitation (although I shave my own hair bald once a week), and food for thought for other B& B members to check-out their own barbers (thanx for the tips).

"Don't ask the barber whether you need a haircut [or shave]". Daniel S. Greenberg

Nobody seems to think it's unusual that an Earnhardt lives underneath the shop...lol it's cool that you like the memorabilia. It's not really my thing. I always figure if I ever have a shop of my own I would kind of put all of that stuff in one area, it's just sort of all over the place in our shop. The owner also has a pair of Jordan's shoes from his last play off series with the Bulls, but she has either kept those to herself or sold them.

Our register is pretty old too. It's been left because it's sort of one of the things people associate with the shop from their childhood, but the original owner's son who works mornings sometimes mentioned originally there was a register that one had to hand crank in order to actually ring in the sale, unlike this slightly more sophisticated model which thankfully has a motor in it.

Not the one from the shop, but it looks almost exactly like this. The keys are not the same colors, and it's more of a brown color, but you get the idea.

About the sanitation, don't be too hard on your barber. I mean we all forget to spray our clippers once in awhile or whatever..but you know..an attempt at sanitation would be cool. LOL

 

[Mick]

So your shop is across the street (from the photo with the car in it) on MacCorkle?

We went through (well sort of around) Charleston a few months ago.

 

[bmharold]

We are on 40th St. Just off MacCorkle.

 

[GAZ082]

1st, awesome to see you love what you do by looking your station.
2nd, congrats to the owner of the location for putting money in restoring it!

 

[Wingnut]

Thanks, anything else you guys want to see? I am shocked noone noticed the old Oster Airjet hair dryer on the back bar. It's 60 years old, and I got it NOS..works great. If I was doing women's hair I wouldn't reccomend it, but for the two or three things I use it for it works great. Also, looks pretty damn cool.

View attachment 291805

HA! I was going to say that when I was a kid we had one of those bad boys in our house and I used it occasionally. I can still remember those 2 toggle switches underneath: one for "Hi/Lo", one for "Hot/Cold". Gotta love that streamline styling, and it must have weighed 5 lbs!!