A Brief Cut About Barber Shops
The history of the barber is one that goes back centuries. It didn’t have the twirling candy stick outside, but it is an old job as far back as Ancient Rome – if not longer. The act of shaving and cutting along the person’s head and face first was something that must be done to keep an individuals’ clean look for their own good in terms of hygiene. The first barber shops in Ancient Rome became a popular place to hear news and make business. It is from the language of Latin the word barber comes from, which is barba, or beard. In related terminology, groups of people who were fully bearded and long haired were called “barbarians.”
Fast forward to the Fifteenth Century, when Edward IV sanctioned The Company of Barbers, a list of people who were certified barbers. Under Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth, those who did not shave were fined heavily. It caught on in Russia, where Peter the Great followed suit with similar laws. So, for anyone who had facial hair or long hair on their head, they went often to the barber to get it cut down. For anyone who was a barber, that meant a lot of profits for a job well done, with one exception. It was illegal to have the hair or nails cut off on Sundays because that was breaking the sacrament of the Sabbath. The saying went, “It was better you were never born, than on the Sabbath pare hair or horn“.
“Cut” (see what I did there) to the 19th century and in the United States, when the barber became a business associated with middle to low-class Americans, especially African-Americans, in developing their own economical standing following the Civil War. From New York to Georgia, from Chicago to California, the barber shop kept the old Ancient Roman tradition of gossip trade while mixing in their own relaxation. The first school for the art of barber shops opened in 1893 in Chicago and soon spread out to other major cities where professional barbers were in need. More and more Americans got involved with having the right shave on their face and trim on their hair to shorten it.
The hometown barber shop with a straight razor would remain in power until the latter half of the 20th century, when franchises were formed and opened up multiple shops across the country. They became multi-miller dollar enterprises and over swamped the old-school barbershop. However, they have not completely got out of business; instead, there has been a resurgence in the original type of barber shop, infusing modern cutting techniques while maintaining the personalized mood the shops had.
For those in Fairfax, VA who want the old barber shop look for their haircut, they don’t have to look far. The best Fairfax barber shop is Elite Barber and they will give you that haircut and shave you desire for an underpaid price.
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