Stopped by an old shop downtown and saw clippers from the 80s hanging on the wall

I was in Springfield last weekend visiting a friend and walked into this barbershop that's been open since 1975. The old guy still uses a straight razor for every neck shave and has a set of Oster clippers from the 80s mounted on a plaque like a trophy. It made me think about how much faster everything is now with cordless tools and how I barely even use a comb anymore compared to when I started. Does anyone else still bust out the old stuff just to slow down or am I being nostalgic for no reason?

2 comments

2 Comments

rosebennett9m ago

Lol "forced me to slow down" - I bet that cord was also forcing you to practice your profanity when it kept snagging on the table leg. I swear those old clippers had a personal vendetta against my ankles. But seriously, you're not wrong. Last time I used my grandpa's 70s clippers I spent half the time untangling the cord from my own feet and the other half yelling at my kid to sit still. Definitely more deliberate though. Nothing says "craft" like nearly electrocuting yourself while your customer complains about the buzzing.

susan4243h ago

Have you ever wondered if those old tools actually change how you interact with a customer? I trimmed my son's hair with my father's 1970s Wahl clippers last weekend, and the cord kept getting in the way but it forced me to slow down and talk to him more. There is something about needing to be deliberate with your movements that makes the whole process feel more like a craft and less like a chore. Maybe the nostalgia is just our brains trying to remind us that speed isn't always the goal.