Shear nostalgia with Salisbury’s new barber

Shear nostalgia with Salisbury’s new barber

Jamie Murphy is bringing back the old school in his new barbershop in the space at the rear of Salisbury General Store on Main Street.

Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — Remember going to the barber shop? Remember getting the hot shaving cream and straight razor on the back of the neck treatment as the grand finale of the haircut? Remember leaving, wreathed in the unmistakable fumes of Clubman aftershave?

This is no longer an exercise in nostalgia. Jamie Murphy, a Lakeville resident, has set up shop in the space at the rear of the Salisbury General Store.

Murphy is dedicated to the old-fashioned men’s haircut. Not that he can’t provide something more contemporary than the gent’s “short back and sides.”

It’s more about the atmosphere, right down to the barber pole fixture outside.

Murphy said he’s been cutting hair for seven years.

Since he started cutting hair professionally, “I became obsessed with the old school craft. It really appealed to me.”

A 20-year resident of Lakeville, where he lives with wife Darlene Murphy, who is a paraprofessional at Salisbury Central School, and their daughter Jillian, who attends SCS, Murphy has been thinking about opening a barber shop in Salisbury or Lakeville for some time.

When the space at the General Store became available, he decided the time was right.

The shop’s been open about three weeks so far, and business has been steady.

It is geared primarily toward men. Murphy said he has some experience cutting women’s hair, “But not enough.”

“I would lose sleep over a haircut.”

Murphy has a day job managing an estate in New York state, so he is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment although walk-ins are welcome.

He left a reporter with this thought: “The difference between a good and a bad haircut is about a month.”

Latest News

Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Learning calligraphy by hand

Attendees practive brushstrokes led by calligraphy teacher Debby Reelitz.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Calligrapher Debby Reelitz came to the David M. Hunt Library to give a group of adults and children an introduction to modern calligraphy Thursday, July 17.

Reelitz said she was introduced to calligraphy as a youngster and has been a professional calligrapher and teacher for more than 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less