Love the story and pics of the shop... I became a barber in 2007 after a heart condition made me sell my bread distributorship. Was in talking to my barber one day asked him about barbering and enrolled in school the following tuesday.at the age of 45. I wish now i had started when i got out of high school. I am also doing the old time barber shop look. Still remember the days when i went with my dad to a smoke flled barbershop where the customers and barbers smoked while getting cut. It hard finding all the older barber stuff now in the south without spending a small fortune on it but have slowly added a lil here and there over the past 4 years . Still a long way to go but getting there... Keep up the good work enjoyed your page and if i ever get to Lanett Al.I will be sure to stop in and meet ur dad as i live just NE of Birmingham.

Pretty kool shops. I allways check out other peoples shops. My place is sports oriented. I have been a Baeber for 27 years.

The history of the Beardsley Barbering Tradition is as follow...
Lee Beardsley, 1909 - 1988, owned and operated a cotton farm in SE Missouri. All the folks in the surrounding countryside would congregate on the front lawn at a designated time for haircuts. The barber chair was actually a tree stump that served to keep clients from moving around too much...ahem, splinters in the seat! Lee took his son, Larry, and taught him the finer points of the tonsorial art, and alas! Another barber was born! I am not certain whether or not Grandpa Lee Beardsley was formally educated in the barbering profession or not, but, one thing is clear, he did a fine job teaching his son Larry! At the age of 28, Larry decided to make the profession of his calling an official one. He enrolled in Lincoln Barber College, and began the process of licensure. When his instructor began to train his new student, he was amazed to find that Larry was already proficient in the trade. He quickly put Larry to work helping other students learn the art of haircutting. Fast forward to 1991...Joe Beardsley (Larry's son), enrolls in the same school as his father! Lincoln Barber College welcomes the newest tonsorial artist of the Beardsley clan! Jason (Joe's brother), starts his training two weeks later. Upon completion of Barber College, both, Joe and Jason head to dad's shop to 'learn' the 'finer' points of the barber's work. Other members of the family (a sister, 2 brother-in-laws, a cousin, and uncle, and 3 nephews) find themselves working in the family profession! David (Joe's son), began eyeing the barber mantle while in his junior year of high school--two weeks after graduation, David started his training in tonsorial arts. Joe and his son, David, own and operate Beardsley's Barber Shop, located in Elk Grove Village, IL. (a Chicago suburb) Monday - Saturday, you can stop by to receive an old fashion haircut, hot lather shave, fade, or just a regular haircut. Every haircut is finished up with hot lather around the ears and neck for a close, straight razor shave. Please feel free to stop by, or to contact us with questions or comments about America's Barber Profession. ~ Joe Beardsley