Finding Minnesota: Paul's Barber Shop
BLAINE, Minn. (WCCO) -- There was a time when nearly every town had a barber shop.
As salons and other retailers expanded, the number of old-time barber shops began to shrink.
But in the middle of Blaine, there is still a piece of Mayberry.
It is next to impossible to walk into Paul's Barber Shop for a haircut and leave without a conversation.
"He starts at 7 [a.m.], so if you want a haircut at 7, he's not busy," customer Arvid Nelson said.
And at this barber shop, that is pretty rare. For more than 50 years, Paul Buchholz has had plenty of foot traffic and buzz.
"Every haircut is different. It's not repetitive. You got flat tops, hineys, flowing hair," Paul said.
Every haircut is different, and so is every story -- including Paul's. He originally trained as a diesel mechanic. That was before he walked by a barber school where a friend invited him in.
"I figured, 'I'll do this to get some money coming until I find something I really want to do,'" Paul said.
But customers quickly turned into friends. It was not long before Paul was making money, but more importantly he was having fun -- even if he cannot remember his first client.
"I don't know if I remember it or not. I don't think the guy ever came back," Paul said.
Plenty did though, including Blaine Mayor Tom Ryan.
"My dad got his haircut in here. My grandkids did, too. So did my son in law," Mayor Ryan said.
It is also where the mayor himself can get the news.
"Some things I find out in here that I didn't know," Mayor Ryan said.
Town politics are one thing; town history is another. When your barber shop has been in business as long as Paul's has, it tends to collect things.
"Those are headlights form a 1926 Chevy one-ton dump truck. This telephone came from my home in the 1940s," Paul said.
Even the cash register was a novelty when Calvin Coolidge was president.
It is all part of what makes this a mini-Mayberry. Like the color of a customer's hair, things change over time -- but not the friendships.
Some of Paul's closest friends are not even here for a cut or close shave. They are just there for camaraderie.
And that is OK with Paul. At 74, he is still getting new clients.
"When I got my license back in 1964, there were just under 3,000 barbers in the state of Minnesota. I think there are now 800 licensed shops," Paul said.
He has heard plenty of good and bad advice come from his barber chairs over the decades. But his secret to keeping his customers coming back is really not a secret at all.
"Continuity in hours, continuity in the work attitude. If somebody comes in and says, 'How are you?' you can't tell them [thumbs down]," Paul said. "You have to be up. You have to be smiling. It's not hard for a person to do if you like what you're doing."
Paul credits his crew with helping his business maintain success over the years.
Mayor Ryan says Paul has the longest-running business in the city of Blaine.
