If it's 9 a.m., Gary's Barber Shop in Gwinn is packed
GWINN -- There's something about being in a barber shop. The masculine aroma of Clubman Talc takes over. The buzz of clippers softly sets a tone that can only be described as friendly. It's 9 a.m. in Gwinn. Gary Erickson just opened his shop for business, and the men congregate...whether they need a haircut or not.
"They come from all over. They come from Trenary and Rock and Felch and Arnold, everywhere! And Gwinn as well," says Gary, referring to his regular customers.
The barbershop, ladies, is where we men go to solve the problems of the world.
Gary's made men look good for "darn near 50 years"--a long time--but he loves the job and everything that comes with it.
"This is the last of the male domain right here," he says. "The beauty shops are great, but the men like to come here and tell stories, tell jokes, hunting, fishing, basketball, baseball, whatever."
The conversation is different everyday.
"Tryin' to keep you guys beautiful ain't easy, ya know," Gary says, under a friendly smile.
Friday, the gents were talking war, reminiscing about their days in uniform.
"I have a younger brother that was in the Marines in Vietnam, another brother that was fighting the Germans in the 10th Mountain Division. I have John who was in Italy. Dan Benstrom was in the Air Force," Gary says, who knows his customers like family.
"I don't think there's a day goes by I think of some of the guys I fought with in Vietnam with the Marine Corps," says Gary's younger brother John. "It was a scary place, but you know what, we can't forget them guys that didn't make it back from there. That's what this Memorial Day weekend means to me."
"The day I retired, I was at March Air Force Base, California, and I was standing at attention, Star Spangled Banner, then they brought the flag down, and I had tears in my eyes. And I've had them several times since then," remembers barber shop regular, Dan Benstrom.
The senior member of Gary's barber shop gang is 94-year-old John Valente, a World War II veteran, a barber shop regular, and Gary's personal assistant.
While I was hanging out at the barber shop, Gary finished a haircut, and John put his coffee down, stood up right away, picked up a broom and swept up the hair that had fallen to the ground. I was curious, so I asked John what on Earth he was doing...
"That's my job! And I don't get any money, but the check's in the mail," says Valente, laughing through a smile.
The barber shop's a pretty special place. A place where men come to look good, feel good, and remember the importance of Memorial Day. Gary's brother John puts it best: "Like they say in the barber shop, 'everyday's a Saturday.'"
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWLUC