Coleman Brothers Barber Shop has been a staple on Chicago's South Side since 1963
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When many think of the barbershop, they think about haircuts, but also fellowship.
Historically, they're places to talk about the news of the day, or anything else on the mind. That's especially so at Coleman Brothers in South Woodlawn, one of Chicago's Hidden Gems.
"This was more than just a barbershop," said Wheeler Coleman, who owns Coleman Brothers Shop. "I would call it a spiritual place where people go to be encouraged and feel uplifted,"
Since its doors opened in 1963, Coleman Brothers Shop at 68th Street and Stony Island Avenue has welcomed regulars like Ron, who's been getting his hair cut there for over 50 years, newbies, and everyone in between. They're all invited to consider "The Shop" their home.
"When you come in the door, you just feel the welcoming," said Antonio Arthur, a barber at The Shop.
Wheeler Coleman owns the shop. The Coleman brothers were his dad, James, who died in 2018 at age 88, and his uncle, Richard, who died in 2016 at 81. Their history graces the walls of the shop. Wheeler called his dad a "people person" who genuinely cared for others, much like his uncle.
"They grew up in two-stop sign town, Elba, Alabama," Wheeler said. "There was still Jim Crow, lot of racism."
Wheeler said his dad and uncle became part of the Great Migration, a time during the early 20th century when millions of Black Americans moved from the South to the big cities of the North and West.
James went to trade school to become a barber and Richard followed.
For the brothers, the shop represented "not just the art of cutting hair, but the interaction with people," Wheeler said.
Anyone at the shop will tell you, James and Richard weren't just dads to their own kids.
"I really never knew my father and didn't have any role models," said Ron West, a longtime customer. "Richard and James became like my role models."
West, Jerome Foster, and Tommy Johnson have been coming to The Shop for decades.
"I got my hair cut here, my first cut, 60 years ago," Foster said.
Johnson said he "learned so much just by sitting in this barbershop and listening."
Their clientele included the famous like Muhammad Ali and former President Barack Obama when he was a U.S. senator.
There were also the not-so-famous.
"They also had convicted felons and the homeless," said Wheeler. "To comfort them, or help them. It was an art."
If needed, the haircuts were free, and most came with a side of advice.
"To discuss family matters and how to be a dad and how to be a husband," Wheeler said. "That's impacting the community. So that's way much more than simply getting a haircut."
And the community came out in droves last June to dedicate a street sign honoring the Coleman brothers. Richard's son, Reggie, said his heart was just bursting.
"I just kept saying, 'Wow they're naming a street after my uncle and my dad,'" Reggie said. "It was wonderful."
Today, other barbers man the chairs at The Shop. Arthur came to the shop as a client when he was just 8 years old.
"It's really a blessing for me. It's like really a privilege to walk into some legendary shoes," Arthur said.
And it all began with two hardworking and very kind men.
"They were not just barbers," said Reggie Coleman. "They was counselors. They was teachers."
Wheeler Coleman said that during the civil unrest of May 2020, the barbershop was the only business on the block that wasn't impacted. He said the last thing anyone wanted to do was harm Coleman Brothers.