View source for Page:Brunswick 100 Years of Memories.pdf/101

<noinclude><pagequality level="1" user="Dhuscha" /></noinclude>Mr. Flynn's customers offered him a "drink," he
gladly accepted, but instead of drinking it at the
time, he simply poured it into a small paper cup,
saying he'd drink it later. But instead of drinking it
he'd pour it into a bottle and store it in a room over
the shop. When Mr. Flynn died, gallons and gallons
of whiskey were found in that upstairs room.
Cliff Porter was also one of Brunswick's colorful barbers who had a thriving business during the
1920's and 30's; however, when Cliff decided he
needed time off, he just closed up shop.
Richard Magalis barbered in a shop in the Funk
home at 13 "A" Street in the 1930's and later expanded into a beauty parlor.
Young George Merriman apprenticed under
Cliff Porter and lateroperated the barber shop at the
YMCA from the late 1940's until his death in the
1960's. The "shop talk" at George Merriman's
barber shop was always BASEBALL.
Herb Price barbered in a small room in Hudson's
Row (south side 200's West Potomac Street) during
the Depression Years; also during those years, Wilbur
Hinkins operated a shop in the small narrow room
that is attached to what is now the Metropolitan
Tavern. Frank Cover and Cliff Porter also rented
that same little room from time to time for barbering. Walt Ambrose had several locations over the
years. One was in a small room next to Werntz's
grocery store; another was a shop next to Barker's
store on New York Hill, and his last location was a
room in a building that he bought which was across
the street from the YMCA. This shop haCL two chairs
and Walt hired other local barbers from time to time
to work for him. Wilbur Hinkins worked for him at
one time as did Frank Wenner, who eventually took
over the shop location after Walt died. Frank later
moved his shop into the Katie Barnard property.
During the 1930's Lewis Baker operated a shop
in the back of the basement at the Redmen's Hall;
Bob LaRue had a shop in the room next to Horine' s
Drug Store. In Brunswick's Hall of Fame of Barbers
we had Raymond Wigington, William Werking,
John Cunningham, Edison Triplett, Norman Runkles,
Frank Snoots, Frank Cover, Ray Compton, and Ike
Brubaker - the last of whom also did tatooing!
Charlie Porter was also one of Brunswick's
flamboyant personalities in the barbering business.
Charlie was the Clown Prince of Foolishness in
Brunswick. Hethoroughlyenjoyed playingthepart
of TARZAN and appearing in a skimpy animal-skin
(fig-leaf-type of covering) and being caged on a float
in all of the parades and doing his Tarzan Call that
sounded as if he had just escaped from a nearby
mountain retreat. But when it came to barbering,
Charlie was a good one and Bill Cage apprenticed

102

under him. Bill eventually was a very successful
barber who operated his shop for many years in the
basement of his home on West "B" Street.
Robert Derflinger and Ralph Moore were also
Brunswick barbers who operated their business in
their homes.
In the 1960's when Brunswick was celebrating
the Diamond Jubilee, there were two barbers, John
and Dana Vintamiglia - father and son - who cut
the whiskers of the contestants in the Brunswick
Diamond Jubilee.
During the 1930's Depression Years, a haircut
cost 25 cents and a shave was 15 cents. However,
Walt Ambrose, one of the town's leading barbers
for many years, was quoted as saying, "If you work
for nothing, you have nothing!" (He charged 20
cents for a shave and 35 cents for a haircut!)
Kenneth Harshman was the last, lone barber
shop owner, and he brought in a licensed replacement before his retirement at the close of 1989; SHE
assumed duties atthe beginning of 1990 and was the
first female barber in town that could be remembered by the book's resource people. Now she has
a new barber working with her. Meet Miss Karen
Poole and Mrs. Cheryl Jones.
The era of the male barber shops has drifted by
- the ladies have taken over the business. Most
beauty salons today are unisex and they do haircuts
for women AND men, as well as hair styling, hair
coloring, and permanents for the gentlemen!
W -BLC

TONSORIAL CONSIDERATIONS
from Bill Cage
Research has uncovered the names of many
barbers in Brunswick from the 1920's to the present.
Bill Cage, a railroad policeman until retirement in
1978, had barbering as a second career.
During the Depression decade, Bill at the age of
eleven began to cut hair in his home on West B
Street. His subjects were kids and even several
men. He used hand clippers from Sears and a
dusting brush, both of which he still possesses.
Edison Triplett, a downtown barber, enlisted
Bill to work for him on Potomac Street in the Meadows building at4 West Potomac Street. Bill worked
there after school and on Saturdays before going to
work for Charlie Porter.
After graduation, Bill Cage worked in Gaithersburg for a year b efore returning to Brunswick,<noinclude><references/></noinclude>