Chestertown's five generations of barbers myeasternshoremd kent county news

Chestertown's five generations of barbers

By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Thursday, June 7, 2012 1:00 am CHESTERTOWN ­ More than 50 years after its construction, the College Heights Barbershop no longer boasts a laundromat or coin­operated televisions. It does, however, offer one amenity most customers can't find anywhere else: A family legacy.

Drew Thompson, 20, marks the fifth generation of barbers in the Thompson line, following the footsteps of his father, grandfather, great­uncle, great­ grandfather and great­great­grandfather. There are now three Thompsons seating customers in the family­ owned and operated Chestertown barbershop: Drew, his father John, 43, and his grandfather, Carroll, 66.

"When John and Drew were growing up, I knew they had the skills and the mannerisms if they wanted to be barbers," Carroll said.

With curtains drawn and registers closed, grandfather, dad and son settled down in their three barber chairs to recount the Thompson family history during an interview last week. They didn't look like they were closing shop after a long day at work – they looked like they were at home.

Barbers of Chestertown Three generations of the Thompson family are working together at the College Heights Barber Shop in Chestertown. From left are John Thompson, Carroll Thompson and Drew Thompson.

All three generations grew up in and around barbershops, starting with Carroll, who spent many of his after­school hours in his family's business in Rock Hall. He learned to cut hair from his grandfather, Jewell Thomp­son, and earned his apprenticeship license at 15. Although barbering was in his blood, Carroll decided "I'd better know what I'm doing," headed to Wilming­ton, Del., and became the first in his family to attend barbering school.

"I knew I wanted to be a barber from being around the shops. I was raised in them," he said. "I always wanted to do that."

Carroll's uncle, Paul Thompson, built College Heights Barbershop in 1959, and as soon as Carroll was ready, he joined him in the front room.

"My uncle told me, 'I have a chair for you,'" Carroll said.

John's calling wasn't as instinctive as it was for his father. His first vocational goal was masonry, but after attending school, he had second thoughts and attended barbering school in Baltimore.

"I saw what Dad was doing. It was an instant job, and a possible business down the road," he said.

Carroll never pressured John to continue in the family business, but was happy to teach his son all the tricks of the trade.

"I knew that he could do it," he said. ""There's a lot of other things out there, but he has the opportunity for advancement here."

Drew's call to barbering also took some trial and error. He attended college for a semester after graduating from high school, but quickly realized that it wasn't for him. He transferred to his father's alma mater in Baltimore, and despite the long hours and exhausting commute, Drew learned to love

the trade.

"I liked being in here and knowing I'd be a fifth generation. You can make a good living out of it," he said.

After 10 months of schooling and 1,200 hours of practice, Drew is now a few weeks into his family's own training program.

"Drew's got a head start," Carroll said. "If anything, he'll have too much advice. Now, we're going to streamline him to get him on top."

According to Carroll, a good barber needs more than a license and a razor. Luckily, Drew has what it takes.

"It takes a special person today. I've met a lot of people who shouldn't have been in the business," Carroll said. "You have to listen to every word a customer says. It's about personality."

Barbershops aren't as commonplace as they were when Carroll first entered the field, so the Thompsons' business offers a personal, unique experience for its clients today. John said that his family takes pride in owning a true, old­fashioned barbershop, "even more so now because there aren't many left."

Along with an amiable personality, a successful barber needs one other vital skill, especially if he's working for a barber shop that's as busy as the Thompsons' – stamina.

"It's a lot of work. It's not for everybody. It's a lot of long hours of standing on your feet," Carroll said. "If you stay doing it long enough, past all the pain and agony, you go numb to it."

Patrons certainly appreciate the Thompsons' hard work. The shop is never lacking for customers, some of whom return for haircuts from as far as Philadelphia and Washing­ton.

"Once you're in here and have a clientele, you get to know them personally. You provide a service to the community, like a doctor or a firefighter. It's a service that people keep coming back to. It makes you feel like more of a part of the community," John said. "You get to know people. You become like family."

"You're not seeing one person getting a haircut," Carroll said. "You're seeing generations. I'm cutting people's hair that I used to see in booster seats, and now their children are grown and their children are in the booster seats."

Although he's only been behind the chair for a couple of weeks, Drew has started to notice the generational trend among customers: he's already cutting hair for some of his old classmates. As for the rest of his customers, Drew said he was "surprised" at how willing they were to give him a chance.

"I was nervous, but the first week was better than what I thought it would be," he said. "I like being here with my grandfather and dad, giving me tips and helping me."