Times Colonist:
Burt Hill always knew he wanted to be a barber, not a stylist. The 31-year-old, who is one of Victoria’s youngest barbers, liked cutting hair quickly, expertly and without fuss. Salons’ longer wait times and focus on styling hair, hands and sometimes even feet didn’t appeal to him.
‘From the day I entered school, I knew I wanted to be a barber,’ said Hill, who owns Burt’s Barbershop on Menzies Street. ‘I remember, I was the only one in my class.’
Despite strong business, barbershops like Hill’s are growing increasingly rare in Greater Victoria. Barbers say their numbers have dwindled over the past decade as baby boomers retire and young male hairdressers head to salons.
‘I can see a lot of barbershops dying in Victoria and nobody taking them over,’ Hill said. ‘The numbers are definitely dropping.’
Exact figures are not available, but most barbers estimate the number of total shops in Greater Victoria has dropped between 10 and 30% over the past decade. And while business remains steady for the businesses still open, they’re catering to an increasingly aging clientele.
‘It’s about 95% men,’ Hill said. ‘A lot of them are older. They grew up with barbershops, though I get young ones too.’ Read full story.
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