Around the Town — Resident Spotlight
Brad the Barber For 43 years, a small barbershop on 54 North Main Street has been a second home to Brad the Barber. He’s welcomed customers of 30+ years as life-long friends into his parlor on a daily basis. Everywhere he goes, he sees a face he once had in his barber’s chair. Brad didn’t know he was going to be a life-long barber. He grew up on a family farm in Idaho, assuming that was his life’s path. His grandfather was a barber in a fancy shop in Ogden during the early 1900’s. He trimmed Brad’s toddler hair before passing away. He must have planted a seed, because at age 23, Brad certified in the barbering trade through SLC’s technical college. He figured it would be a fun and useful skill to have. In the 1970’s, a standard haircut was $3.00. Brad worked in a handful of barber shops in Idaho just one day a week while he did other things. Cutting hair was just a fun side job. Then, he found himself trimming hair full-time at the BYU Barbershop, which lasted for 9 years. He also worked at the Provo Missionary Training Center for 7 years. Brad cut the red ribbon by making the very first missionary haircut at the MTC. Brad’s skill had him scheduled several days each month cutting hair at the old folk’s home, the boys’ ranch, and even the Utah County jail for a couple of decades. Even still, Brad wasn’t planning on being a life-long barber. But then one day, Spanish Fork’s resident barber, Bill Vest, called him. He was looking to retire soon, and wanted to know if Brad had any interest in his barber shop on main street. So, Brad and his wife, DeAnn, came to inspect the small space that would come to support their family of 5 children for the next 4 decades. Even today, the original mirrors and coat rack remain the same as when originally installed in 1963. In all that time, there has not been one day where Brad has regretted going to work. He loves the companionship with the community. All 5 of his children played sports and Brad could easily arrange his own schedule to attend their ball games between customer appointments. At 68 years of age, Brad is retiring after 43 pleasant years keeping Spanish Fork neat and trim. His son, Jesse, will be partnering with a friend named Jay to keep up with the steady stream of friends in their second home, the barbershop on main street.
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My Community - Spanish Fork
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