Melvin Coats, left, in July of this year came to Curtis Hunt’s Barber Shop in Linden so that the two barbers could cut each others’ hair, a practice they had been doing for an estimated 40 years. Coats died Aug. 21.
‘Who cuts the barber’s hair?’
Recently two barbers answered the old question, “Who cuts the barber’s hair?”
Melvin Coats of Queen City and Curtis Hunt of Linden were the two barbers who, together, had 129 years of hair cutting experience here in Cass County. They cut each others hair for 40 years, according to Hunt. This week, Coats passed away. The cutting of each other’s hair has now ended.
The two would get together at each other’s shop and proceed calmly and quietly to barber’s each other’s hair. The event would be understated, nothing much to talk about. Old hat”would be the saying.
The two might joke for a moment about who is the best or oldest or least expensive barber. Hunt has cut hair for 61 years, Coats for 67 or thereabouts. Both would take their time cutting each other’s hair, careful to have it turn out “just right.”
Both barbers had similar personalities. Both were quiet, smiled a lot but also liked to talk mainly with the person in the chair.
Finding the answer to this question of who cuts the barber’s hair can be difficult because a lot of barbers keep the information private. But sitting in either the Coats’ chair or Hunt’s, the two barbers just made the occasion pleasant.
In one of the two barber shops is a sign which says something like, “The only place where you’ll look better when you leave than when you came in.” For over 100 years, the two barbers had been engaged in making people look better.