The Village Barber shop was not only a place to get your haircut or have a morning shave, but also to find out the opinion of others on local and national news. Many important decisions were probably made as a result of visiting the barbershop. The barber chair stayed upright for a haircut or leaned back so the barber could give a customer a good close shave. Each chair had a leather strop for sharpening the razor. The barber pole was an icon of every barbershop. When the light inside the pole was lit, and the stripes were rotating around it indicated that the shop was open for business. Regular patrons of the barber shop often had their own shaving mug like the ones displayed on the wall. Often the cups would have the customers name or work logo on the side. When the customer arrived the barber would take the man’s personal mug from the shelf, and mix a fresh supply of lather from the shaving soap inside. He then shaved the customer using a very sharp straight razor and finished up by wrapping the man’s face in a hot wet, towel for total relaxation ….all for the total price of fifteen cents. The two chair barbershop also contains the shoeshine stand that was located in the Creston C.B.&Q. Depot. The business was operated by Arthur Rice for 44 years. Everyone knew and respected Arthur. He never forgot a face. He retired at the age of 75.
