The couple moved to Key Metaenabe in Monroe County, FL where Thomas was also employed as a bridge tender while the railroad was being constructed in the Keys. ![]() Thomas was born in April 1862 in Florida and married Eliza Jane in 1891, after which he worked as bridge tender and local barber until about 1909. ![]() For 25 cents (two bits) a gent could get a fine haircut a clean shave was 15 cents. He would accommodate customers any time, day and night, but Sundays proved to be the busiest for business. The railway was completed through Stuart in 1894 and Thomas set up a 'shop' at the north end of the bridge where the tracks crossed the St. Britt, whose job was actually that of a bridge tender for the Florida East Coast Railroad. One of the earlier men's barber shops in the Stuart area was operated by Thomas J. The development of the safety blade, pressurized canned shaving cream, gel foam and the electric razor were great advances in male grooming products with toupees and even hair grafts aiding those with receding hairlines. Men, necessarily, had to take care of such personal grooming too, before there were barbers in town. In Stuart, before 'beauticians' were available, women cut, washed and styled hair at home, often assisted by family members or friends. Women's styles included bob, beehive, pixie, page boy, flip, bouffant, cornrows, pony tails, rolls and bangs among others. For men there were butch / crew cuts, pompadours, duck tails, mullets, rat tails, mohawks, shags, dreadlocks, afros, long side burns, goatees, handle bar and pencil mustaches. Hair products and styles have changed through the years and have included a few fads, some imitating the 'look' of famous celebrities or teen idols. ![]() The phrases "shave and a haircut, two bits" Vitalis' claim not to be "greasy kid stuff" or Brylcreem's "a little dab'll do ya" and for ladies, the Clairol hair color dyes, "does she or doesn't she" may sound familiar to those who remember some of the ads from long ago. In more recent times, specialty hair and nail salons have become popular for both men and women.ĭiagonally striped red, blue and white, sometimes rotating, 'poles' were often used to signify the barber's establishment. These establishments may have also provided a place for social conversation, discussing news, events of the day or even local gossip. Personal grooming establishments, barbers and hairdressers, have been an important and integral part of the community since the area's earlier 'pioneering' days, a few of the individual businesses operating for decades.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |