Longtime Newton barber Charlie Brown hangs up his clippers

When you’ve given an average of 35 haircuts per day over a period of 60 years, that adds up to a lot of satisfied customers. Charlie Brown has decided to hang up his clippers after a successful barbering career that started in New Sharon and ended on July 14 at Weter’s corner.

Brown began in January 1951 in New Sharon but moved to Newton the following July and moved into Les Young’s Barbershop, five chairs strong.

“A haircut cost 75 cents in New Sharon, but it was a dollar when I moved to Newton,” Brown said.

He left Young’s shop in 1959 and started into partnership with Herb Dougall in what is now J&T Travel at the back of the First Newton National Bank building. They moved to a small, white building until they were bought out by the city when the Holiday Inn Express came to town in 1994. They used the money to move to open Charlie and John’s Barber Shop, right next to Weter’s Repair at 220 E. 8th St. N., where they’ve been ever since.

Brown said he would average 35 haircuts per day over the course of his career. One day he decided to go for a record, and he cut the hair of 62 customers. He used to work on Saturday, and all barbers who were in the barbers’ union, would be closed on Wednesdays. Being close to Maytag, Brown said he had many Maytag clients, including office people as well as the production workers. He remembers once cutting the hair of a Maytag executive who was named to the top 10 Best-Dressed Executives in America.

Shop conversations were one of the things that kept Brown going. His wife Sharon remembers the conversations many times involved everyone in the shop waiting, and was a good time to catch up on community news.

There were two barber chairs at Charlie and John’s, and 11 waiting chairs. Those waiting chairs were old lawn chairs, the same ones Brown started his career with in Newton. Craig Miller made some covers for them at one point, and they just lasted through 60 years.

Brown had his retirement party on the anniversary of the beginning of his career, July 14. Now, he says, he just plans to relax and enjoy life. Wife Sharon said he would certainly enjoy hearing from his many friends.