Barber still clipping away after 50 years

COLDWATER - Bob Hein has no plans to cut short his time as a barber.

On Wednesday, he marked 50 years of being a barber at his cozy, one-chair shop in downtown Coldwater. It was a big milestone but Hein didn't make a fuss about it.

"I wasn't planning anything for it," he said before the occasion. "Just a normal day."

Sharing a building with the Butler Township Hall, Bob's Barber Shop is decorated with Green Bay Packers paraphernalia and has a wide window to take in the scenic downtown. Apart from a TV turned down low and the occasional passing car, it's a quiet place reserved for conversation. It's Hein's favorite part of the job.

"Talking to the customers, talking to the people. I probably like that about as much as anything," he said. "I hear a lot of good stuff, some bad stuff too, but mainly good stuff."

Hein, 69, has worked by himself since he bought the business in 1977. He keeps busy with a steady stream of customers, some of whom have been coming every two-four weeks for years.

"I just had a guy here this morning, he turned 100 years old last Tuesday," he said. "And I've been cutting his hair for probably 30-35 years. He still comes in, still gets around."

Haircuts are $9 for men, $8 for boys. Hein doesn't cater to one demographic: women. He's had only one female customer in half a century. He won't even cut his wife, Paula's, hair, and he's been married to her for almost as long as he's been a barber.

"I don't do women. I used to have one lady come in here because she knew me and didn't like the way her stylist did the back," he said. "She would come in after I closed. That way nobody would see it. I did that for probably about a year and I finally just told her 'no more.' "

After graduating from Coldwater High School, Hein attended the Dayton Barber College. He looks back fondly on his time at the school, where students started out practicing haircuts on homeless men who took advantage of the free service.

After getting his certification, he opened at a shop in Fort Recovery in 1966 before being hired by Mark Eilerman Jr. in Coldwater in 1967. He's worked there ever since, except for a slight gap in the 1970s. Hein said when the trend of long hair took hold with the men of Mercer County, work dropped so dramatically the shop cut down from two barbers to one.

"They just weren't getting them cut. I quit for a couple years but knowing I was going to buy him out in '77," he said. "I've been here by myself ever since."

When it comes to other odd hair trends, he said he didn't much mind the mullet because he didn't see a lot of them. But the trend of shaving shapes into boys' hair, which was popular in the '90s, quickly became a headache.

"The ones I dreaded most of anything were when the kids would come out and want racing stripes in their hair. And then someone would come in and want initials in their hair," he said. "That was tough to do. I never cared for that but I did it to please the customers, that's all."

He said a barber always notices when a regular costumer stops coming. While he wouldn't pressure people to return, he would appreciate an explanation so he can improve his service.

"You just often wonder why you lose some customers," he said. "I've always said I wish they would come back and tell me what I did wrong. I just want to know."

The long-time barber isn't thinking about retiring anytime soon as long he keeps his health, mainly out of a sense of duty to his loyal customers.

"I tell my wife, 'I can't just quit and close the door on my customers.' I said, 'they've been good to me all these years,' " he said. "But if someone came in the door tomorrow interested in buying my business, I'd talk to them."

Making customers happy has been his main focus in running the barber shop. He said their support in return has made for a good 50 years.

"I've got a lot of good customers and I don't regret my job. My customers have been very good to me," he said. "You're not going to get rich but you're going to make a decent living."