Tom the barber hangs up clippers after 42 years in Agincourt.
Retiring after 42 years of cutting hair at his shop at 2658 Kennedy Rd., Tom Katsoras, right, gives one last trim Tuesday to George Simpson, who has been a customer for 35 years. (Aug. 31, 2010)
Staff photo/ERIC HEINO
After 42 years in the same Agincourt location, Tom the barber hung up his trimmers for the last time and retired this week.
On Tuesday, Tom Katsoras's expert hands delivered their last crew cut, which he claimed he could probably do in the dark. In fact, he still kept the manual clippers he used when he bought the place so he could finish cuts when the power went out.
Over the decades Katsoras hardly changed anything about his one-room shop on 2658 Kennedy Rd., just north of Huntingwood Drive, including his antique chairs, hand-clippers and much of his clientele.
He only accepted cash which he stored in an old iron register, he never had a phone in the shop and for $13 his clients had come to expect more than just a haircut.
"I joke that these guys should be paying me for the education they've got here in the shop over the years," said Katsoras. "This is the true meaning of a community college, right here."
Now 69, Katsoras was born in northern Greece. He had been cutting hair since 1961 and moved into his current location in 1968. Tom's Barber Shop became a haven for men in the neighbourhood to swap stories, life lessons and crack jokes at each others expense.
Many of his customers have been getting their hair cut in the shop since they were young children and learned a lot from the colourful clientele that was always found waiting for a trim or just hanging around enjoying the atmosphere.
Katsoras said he had been working for so long that he cut five generations of hair for the same family.
Never shy to push the envelope to get a smile from his customers, Katsoras joked that he knew it was time to retire when he realized his list of dead clients outweighed the living ones.
Ross Young had been coming to the shop every two weeks for a haircut since it opened and was comfortable there. At 82 years old, Young said he's observed that the barber shop is just about the only thing that hasn't changed over the years.
"The barber shop hasn't changed, but just about everything else around it has," said Young.
"Tom is just a good old boy. He has a smile and a joke to tell all the time."
Tom explained a few of the inside jokes he shared with his regulars including soliciting "business investments" for lottery tickets and wearing his "retirement suspenders" on his final day so that the money he makes by selling the shop won't weigh his pockets down.
Katsoras had customers that travel from all across southern Ontario to see him, but he kept his retirement quiet so the barbers that take over his shop can have his clients.
Once retired, Katsoras has a few big plans including a trip to Australia, but said he will probably spend most of his time in his home in Markham, enjoying the honeydew.
A grin stretched across Tom's face as he paused before explaining further.
"Don't you know about the honeydew?" asked Katsoras. "You see, when you are retired your wife is always saying, 'Honey do this, honey do that.'"
A joker right until the last snip, Katsoras did take a serious moment to remark how much he has enjoyed his work and would look back fondly on the good times he had with friends inside his shop.
Later that afternoon the other business owners in the plaza and many of his customers hosted a surprise retirement party to celebrate the man who has been a cornerstone in the community for more than four decades.