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closeGentleman Jim celebrates two decades in Purdy
Barber has been cutting hair for 23 years
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
Gentleman Jim’s barbershop in Purdy recently completed a remodel and is welcoming customers, new and old. The shop, which has been open for 23 years in the Bridgeway Shopping Center, has a brighter look and has expanded from one to two chairs.
“We rebuilt all the cabinets and have new lighting,” shop owner Jim Lince said. “The business has been good to me.”
Lince and hairstylist Kathy McIntosh, formerly of Northwest Hair, have more than 50 years of experience between them. Lince usually cuts men’s hair, and McIntosh handles most of the women.
“We’re a full-service salon,” Lince said. “We can do just about anything people want.”
Lince has long-time customers who have been coming to the shop since it opened. But he admits January was the slowest month he’s had since the store opened.
Lince said he isn’t sure whether to attribute that to the recession or a case of mistaken identity. Another barber at a salon up the street recently passed away at about the same time Lince was out for several months while he recovered from surgery.
When Lince returned to work, he saw a former client in the parking lot and waved to him. The man gave him a weird look and walked away, and Lince didn’t know why.
“His wife later pulled me aside and said, ‘We thought you were dead,’ ” he said.
But Lince is still cutting hair at a fair price in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. His clients come from the Key Peninsula, Canterwood, McCormick Woods and Olalla to enjoy an old-fashioned hair cut and a friendly chat.
“They come from all over,” Lince said. “Some of my clients that have moved to Tacoma still come back here.”
“People just like our haircuts,” McIntosh said. “They may move away, but they come back because they don’t want to switch to another barber.
“We have fun here,” she said. “We get paid to have fun all day.”
The shop offers men’s haircuts for $15, seniors for $12.50. Women can get a haircut from $15 to $25.
During their grand re-opening, the shop will offer discounts. Both appointments and walk-ins are welcome.
Lince describes his shop as an “old redneck, knockdown guy’s place.”
“We talk about everything from sports to politics to kids to lotto winners — everything,” he said. “Why retire when you can have fun?”
Barbershop
The Gentleman Jim & Friends barbershop is located at the Bridgeway Shopping Center on state Route 302 in Purdy.
The shop hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Appointments are available, and walk-ins are welcome.
For more information, call 253-857-5064.