You’d think that having such sparsely populated follicles upon my bonce, barbers wouldn’t be a major consideration in my life…

And yet, just as Mrs Long trusts her hairdresser to know exactly what she’ll want, or what she’ll be brave enough to try now and again, barbers for men, come in all levels of confidence and trust.

For instance, as lockdown was easing last year, I was able to get a haircut locally, literally 30 seconds around the corner from my house. But it wasn’t Paul, because Pauls barbershop, The Baron Barbershop, is in Porthmadog, Wales. At the time, I wasn’t allowed across the border for such frivolities as having a haircut. I think it was because Wales hadn’t allowed close contact services to open at the time and after months of clippering it myself, my head just needed professional attention.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an awful tidy up, but as I’m sure you know, when you’ve found someone who regularly looks after something of yours, it’s never the same using someone else… it’s always a compromise. It’s a bit like having to take your car to a different garage than your usual because they’re fully booked for the next three weeks… “What? Trust someone else to care for my pride and joy???”

I’ve been visiting Porthmadog and the surrounding areas of North Wales for approximately 36+ years. I first started going when I was invited regularly to spend weekends and holiday times with my best friend from school, Nick. Nick’s paternal family were from the area and quite prominent in the community. His grandparents had a beautiful secluded house in a tiny hamlet between Porthmadog and the next town along the coast, Criccieth. It was proper Boys Own adventure stuff when I think back to those days. When we were old enough to look after ourselves (which was much younger than parents would dare nowadays), we’d get dropped off to stop in the attached family cottage with our bikes and enough supplies to see us through our stay. We’d cycle crazy distances, taking snacks and drinks with us in rucksacks and spend all day out and about. And one of the only instructions Nick was given by his parents, was to “get your hair cut before we pick you back up…”.

In those days, there was only one place for a boy to get a trim in the area, the small barbers around the back of the car park, off the high street in Criccieth. There was none of your ‘antiqued’ leather aprons, pork pie hats and 30 various flavours of beard oil, it was a simple barber shop. Small, one chair and the guy wore a white blazer work jacket. It also didn’t matter what style you asked for, you’d get a number 3 clipper and be grateful for it. He’d been there serving the community for years even when Nick and I would visit. To this day the barbers of Porthmadog and Criccieth know of him and speak of the little car park barbershop in revered tones…

Paul and I were discussing the little old barbershop one day while I was having a tidy up. You know when something is an institution of the community when someone like Paul, who is most definitely not from the North Wales area, knew of the Criccieth barber. He also knew that the shop had been taken over when the guy eventually decided to retire and how the young chap that took it over basically ran it into the ground. I was quite disappointed to hear of the sad fate of such a foundation of the small town.

So what makes Paul my preferred barber of choice, considering there’s not much you can ‘do’ with what’s left on my melon? Pride, professionalism, care and a true passion for what he does. It’s hard to explain, but when I’ve had a trim around the corner from my house, it’s ok. It’s not a bad cut, but it’s over in 6 minutes and you’re left thinking, ‘is that it? no tidy up and finish with the close razor? no going over again looking for those stragglers that laid flat first run over?’…

You see, that’s what I’m now used to from Paul. The job is so professional and precise, no matter how little hair he’s dealing with on me. It’s finished to the finest detail. And I know that he takes that level of care and attention with all his clients. It matters to him. And that matters to me. It’s also so easy to sit in Pauls chair and have a relaxing conversation during the sitting. It’s good to get on with the person who’s got the different grades of sharp blade near your head and neck…

Paul trained with some of the biggest names in hairdressing and barbering in England before setting up his own barbershop in Porthmadog. Pauls wife and he moved to North Wales shortly before starting a family, and who could blame them? I love the fact that Paul describes some of his best times as being when he’s out with his children having an ice cream around the harbour or enjoying the myriad of outdoor experiences available in that part of the world. It’s a place I love dearly and know that I absolutely loved the opportunity to spend so much of my school holiday times with my best friend and his family in the area.

So here’s my advice. Get to properly know your barber or hairdresser. You’ll know what suits you, they’ll know what suits you and the attention you require. After that, it’s a great opportunity to spend half and hour relaxing and just talking with a friend. And how often do we all get that opportunity these days?

https://www.facebook.com/thebaronbarbershop/