Drawers of shears, combs and clippers line the side of
the barbershop.
A man of little words but of great heart, Vance’s work ethic came from years of farm work growing up in West Virginia. He made the move to Kent during his early adult years to be closer to his uncle, who encouraged him to enroll in barber school.
Vance began as a barber in a shop downtown called Murphy’s — a shop that would eventually bear his own name in the front window.
“He was a little short guy. He liked to talk a lot,” Vance says about the former owner.
The quiet Vance and chatty Walter Murphy had an undeniable chemistry for 25 years. Vance later bought the shop when Murphy grew ill.
“I remember when we opened, Walter and Emory were in that barber shop,” says Braden, the landlord, of his neighboring business colleagues. “They’ve been in town longer than Woodsy’s has been around.”
“Haircuts are shorter now. Back in the ’70s, everyone had long hair”
Over the time Vance has been in the barber business, he has noticed generational differences between his older customers and Kent State students.
“Haircuts are shorter now,” he says chuckling. “Back in the ’70s, everyone had long hair.”
Barbershop Talk“He’s the best in Ohio,” says Paul Milton, director of Kent State’s Student Recreation and Wellness Center, and Vance shakes his head at the compliment. “I came in here a couple years ago for the first time, and I’ve been coming back ever since.”
Braden does not find Vance’s popularity the least bit surprising.
“Everybody really likes Emory down here,” Braden says. “He sets a nice example of the way businesses used to be.”
A.J. Pritt, assistant football coach for Kent State University, gets his hair
cut before a game. Pritt says he’s been getting his hair cut by Emory
Vance for five years.
But Vance shrugs off compliments as modestly as he disregards any mention of retirement.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” he says, adjusting his glasses. “I’ve got to have something to do.”
But for now the shop door remains open, with Vance refusing to turn the lock a second before the clock ticks to the 5:30 p.m. closing time.
And if someone comes the moment he is ready to lock up?
“I’ll cut his hair, too,” says Vance.
He bides his time between customers by sitting in one of the cutting chairs, a king on his throne, as he glances around at his kingdom.
“I was real busy yesterday,” he says. “Today might be a slow day. Some days I’m more busy than others. That’s just the way it goes.”
As soon as the words escape his mouth, the heavy door jangles, and two customers stroll in.
More follow, and soon Vance has a waiting list of shaggy-haired people in desperate need of his expert trimming skills.
Vance’s scissors are already attached to his hand.
“Who’s next?” he asks with his shy smile. He pats the chair and motions for the next customer. “You can sit right here.”
The hair clippers are turned on, and a buzzing sound echoes throughout the shop as Vance continues to build on his 35 years of business.
“Why do customers keep coming back?” The Kent barber ponders this question, then grins. “They must like the haircuts.”
Katie Phillips is a junior magazine journalism major. This is her first time writing for The Burr.
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