The Observation Deck

Hi folks,

I'm new to Lakewood (moved here last month), and I'm looking for a good barber shop. I don't particularly like "salons," I just like an inexpensive, good old-fashioned barber shop, like the kind I grew up with out on the East Side (yes, I crossed the Great Divide to move here).

Are there any recommendations? Driving around, I've seen plenty in town and over the line in Rocky River, but do folks on the Observation Deck have any good recommendations for a newcomer?

Thanks,

Chris Dawson

Welcome to Lakewood!!

Bars, barbershops and drug stores, all lots to choose from in our great city! I have been going to the barber across from Malley's on Madison for over 20yrs. It is a father and son team and they do a great job and are inexpensive compared to others.

Hope this helps!!

I will echo Mr. Salo's welcoming comments,

I go to Belle Barber Shop near the Corner of Belle and Detroit. Paul and Joe are good guys with great stories. It is a typical old time barbershop.

Again, Welcome to the Westside!

Tim Carroll

Welcome to Lakewood.

I recommend Wink's Barbershop, on the corner of Madison and Wyandot. He goes by appointment. Wink lives in Brookpark.

Ron's (Lakewood Barber, across from Malleys) alright, but he's not-so-efficient or accurate. .... He likes to stare out the window while he cuts your hair... he especially likes watching police and fire vehicles pass by. I patronized Ron's shop for nearly 15 years. He lives in Westlake.

I hear that Mike's barbershop is respectable. He's located in the little shed on Cordova and Madison. Mike lives in Westpark.

Some years ago, after growing tired of coming home to a malformed wig (after counting the number of times Ron's eyes were way-too far removed from my head, i think I even heard him mutter "oops" before) I began trying different barbers around town.

There's a decent spot on the corner of Detroit and W.Clifton run by a married couple of eastern European descent. The husband is good, but run like hell if she tries to cut ya! I don't know if they;re Lakewood residents.

Belle Barber on the corner of Belle and Detroit is pretty good, as long as you can tolerate heavy clouds of cigarette and cigar smoke. If you're looking for a wacky experience, this is probably the best place to go. There's a shoe-shine stand in the back that's haunted by the specter of an old African American dude. I don't know if he still works there, it's been at least 8 years since I've been there.

It's a very strange scene, very 50-60's. No idea where these dudes live....

That's all I known.

Hope it's helpful.

Dan

Chris--- Welcome!!!!

All these posts are accurate in their evaluation of Lakewood barbers and if you're hair grows fast enough you can pursue all of them!!!

Stan Austin

Sadly, my hair doesn't grow THAT fast anymore, and in fact appears to be in some sort of retreat up my head ... but these are all good suggestions!

c. dawson wrote:Sadly, my hair doesn't grow THAT fast anymore, and in fact appears to be in some sort of retreat up my head ... but these are all good suggestions!

Chris

I would have to recommend Reagle Beagle on Detroit. I get my hair cut there every year if I need it or not. While Jeff gets it cut there much more often.


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Chris

The Reagle Beagle is NOT your standard barber shop. If you like what the "salons" did for your hair, but didn't care for the feminine atmosphere, conversation, etc., the Beagle is an all male saloon, wide screen TV, individual stylists booth with personal TV, all female staff, and a cold beer if you desire. A relaxing experience, great haircut, but not your standard Barber.

Highly recomended. Nothing wrong in us guys getting a little pampering now and then.

Jeff

I have been a satisfied customer at Mike's for something like 20 years.

After I moved here, I tried a number of other shops, some with barbers no longer on the scene.

I believe Mike is the best, at least for the few hairs and ripples on my noggin.

Mike is an always consistent precision craftsman. He wields the straight blade around the lathered ear with great skill.

From inquiries made to friends about other shops and salon type OPS, I always ask if the blade is wielded. That in my mind is what separates the traditional barber shop from the unisex barber/beauty shop, the men from the boys.

My son would come home from Kent State, because he believes from experience that Mike is the best. Recently, another barber joined Mike.

Lines could get really long on a Saturday and this additional barber has helped. There are no appointments in this shop.

The luck of my turn has been to get Mike and miss the other guy.

My son reports the other guy is slower than Mike and not quite as precise.

Mike's is not the cheapest in town. A haircut is $14.

I noticed Jason's on Madison across from Bella had a $10 haircut. If you are short cash and want to experiment, maybe you could try this one.

When in middle school, my sons seemed to enjoy the total scene in Belle Avenue Barber, where the passersbys and running commentary from the barbers and customers, gave them a sense of the mysterious passages to aging masculinity.

There is actually a book published years back by Larry Smith's Bottom Dog Press in Huron Ohio that contains an enjoyable essay about the Belle Avenue Barber shop.

Jim O'Bryan swears by the Reagle Beagle.

So there is a very rich Barber Shop scene in Lakewood, which offers a range of possibilities.

Welcome to the Wood

Kenneth Warren

We used to call him Fast Eddy ....but he was GREAT..and still is a cool barber after 46 yrs.

Ed's Barber Shop
15618 Madison Ave
Cleveland, OH zip code
Phone: (216) 221-1703


I just got off the phone to check if he's still the original Ed..and yup..

Ed's is just a storefront hard-core plain barbershop, nothing fancy.

All the "guys in the know" ..the musicians from the local TV shows, many TV personalities, all used to go there, the pool hustlers from Madison Sq Lanes and Mahall's...the "cool guys" from all over the west side of Cleveland...

Ed was one of the first "barber stylists" around too.

He has 8X10s of just about everyone that ever was well known from Greater Cleveland of who he used to cut their hair. (tho he doesnt have them up right now ) ......Most of those guys don't have enough hair to cut apparantly..so he just explained the "new cuts" he does now on the skaters/firefighters/police/high school guys, the boyzzzz and still on band members, on and on and on...

If you want a great haircut, AND history of just about anything that was "cool in Greater Cleveland" and of course Lakewood, give Ed a call.

Welcome to Lakewood, also.

Tell him Mark Allan sent ya : )

Mark:

Great post on Fast Eddy.

It's a great service to heap up your sense of Lakewood greats.

Does Fast Eddy wield the straight blade for clean-up around the ears?

Your post was interesting enough to cause me to consider the Fast Eddy experience.

Straight blade is the deal maker for me.


Kenneth Warren

Yes...Ed is an "old school" hard-core barber but also a "barber stylist" and can cut any style. When I used to frequent his barber shop, he was one of the first to wield the blow dryer and razor cuts in the area.

Ask Ed, and he'll provide you with quite an experience, in both haircut and conversation. He probably will still give you a hot lather shave if you ask..( or trim your beard).

Btw, he said he opens at 2:30pm daily now.

I stopped into a barbershop on one of the streets off Detroit about 6 years ago. I think it was Marc's or Mark's. He is a former merchant marine sailor. In interesting guy but a crappy barber. He gave me a comb-over. I have to say, I never was completely satisfied with any of the barbers I tried in Lakewood.

I'm not sure if this is legal, but I've been going to The Clifton Barbershop (which is actually in Cleveland - next to The Tick Tock, Flower Child, Etc.) for the last couple years. Sal and Ina do a very nice job...and use a straight razor. The wait is usually not too long, but just in case, they've got a nice selection of nudie mags or outdoors magazines depending on your mood.
Its cheap....$10.
If you enjoy Jerry Springer I would suggest a late afternoon visit.

Joe:

Details, please.

Who loused up your dome while living here?

You are sounding like a toney Virginian rather than a Lakewood homie.

Where are you going and what are you paying these days in VA?

What are they doing the Lakewood choppers couldn't?

Kenneth Warren