Walked into a shop in Detroit and saw a 10 year old before-and-after on my barber's wall

I was visiting family near Dearborn last month and stopped into this little barbershop on Michigan Ave. The guy cutting hair had these two photos taped to his mirror - one from 2014 of a guy with a mess of uneven, patchy growth and another from two weeks ago of the same guy, clean fade, crisp lines. I asked about it. Turns out the customer was homeless when he first came in, the barber gave him a free cut, and he came back every two weeks for a decade. The difference wasn't just the haircut - it was the guy went from looking worn down to looking put together. Made me think about how we see regulars change over the years. Any of you guys keep photos of long-term customers? I'm thinking about starting a board.

2 comments

2 Comments

palmer.zara25d ago

Small thing though (and I hope this doesn't come off as nitpicky) - that wasn't a 10 year before-and-after if one was from 2014 and the other from two weeks ago. That's actually 9 years and some change, not a full decade. Sorry, I'm that person who notices stuff like that. My barber has a similar photo wall actually, and he's got one guy who went from a messy mop head to a perfect pompadour over six years. It's weirdly satisfying to see someone's whole look evolve like that, even if the time frame is a bit off.

oliver_mitchell25d ago

Started rounding before I even had the full decade and honestly nobody noticed or cared.