Owner Al Reynolds is hanging up his clippers and calling it a long day’s job well done.

He’s 86 — he deserves the break.

“I’m going to miss a lot of people,” he said. “It’s been a hell of a ride, it’s been enjoyable.”

After serving in the Army from 1957 to 1960, Reynolds sort of fell into his career.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Barber Al Reynolds, owner of Al’s Barbershop gives Jose Hernandez, of Eagle Grove, a haircut. Reynolds closed the shop on July 1 after being in business there since 1962, ending an era.

“I had a relative in eastern Iowa that owned a barber college in Davenport,” he said.

His first job was at Iowa State University in Ames then onto a short stint in a shop in Des Moines.

In 1961 he found himself in Webster City.

“About 1961 I went to all the barbers and introduced myself,” he said. “Ed Toole wanted to start a barber shop so I worked for him.”

The previous owner of his building was Jack Zigler.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Barber Al Reynolds, owner of Al’s Barbershop gives Jose Hernandez, of Eagle Grove, a haircut. Reynolds closed the shop on July 1 after being in business there since 1962.

“Jack had muskets hanging on the wall, not only was he a barber, but was also a gunsmith,” Reynolds said. “He was a sheriff, too. He actually shot a bank robber. He lost his leg in that.”

Zigler vacated the building after a fire in the basement. His son showed up.

“Dad,” Reynolds recalls Zigler being told, “you’re going back with me.”

His neighbor in the divided building was a jeweler named Elmer Johnson. It was owned by a man named Bob Ross – not the famous painter, though.

“He told me he’d sell me the building or raise my rent,” he said. “So I bought the building.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen

When Reynolds arrived in Webster City barbers were a pretty common sight.

“Oh my God,” he said. “When I came to town there was 17 barbers.”

That’s down a bit. Reynolds holds up two fingers.

“That’s what’s left today, what happened to us,” he said.

Reynolds has an answer to that.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Barber Al Reynolds, owner of Al’s Barbershop gives Jose Hernandez, of Eagle Grove, a haircut. Reynolds closed the shop on July 1 after being in business there since 1962.

“Back when the beauticians starting cutting men’s hair, I told my son, in 15 years we won’t have any young kids coming in,” he said. “The wife used to always bring kids in for a cut. They started going to beauticians. We lost the young kids trade.”

Conversation is, of course, a mandatory part of being a barber. Reynolds had a few rules though.

“The only thing a barber does not want to talk about is politics and religion,” he said. “If they want to talk about that, you just keep your mouth shut.”

A favorite topic of conversation in the shop were fishing and hunting stories. Hundreds of photographs of big fish were on display on the walls. Several large trophy fish, complete with the lure that caught them in their mouth, were among the last things to come down.

Reynolds even did a radio show once a week where he would update local anglers on what was going on at the local lakes.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Surrounded by a partially packed up shop, Al Reynolds, owner of Al’s Barber Shop, takes a phone call in a sample of one of the luxury chairs he sold for years in the area. Reynolds officially turned off the lights for the last time on July 1.

He had to be careful, though. He kept the local anglers’ secrets and he kept them very well.

“The guy just told you where his best spot is,” he said. “It’s like mushroom hunting, you don’t give up your spot.”

Reynolds never worked eight hour days. He put in a lot more than that.

“You don’t make money when you work with your hands, you don’t make money working from 8 to 5,” he said. “You have to put in 13 hours a day.”

As a sideline, he sold therapeutic chairs.

“I’d leave at 5 then go show them in people’s homes,” he said. “That’s what paid for the cabin and the enjoyment of life.”

While he started many years ago, he still wasn’t quite in the “Two Bits” era of pricing.

“In 1962 a haircut was $1.25 and a flattop was $1.50,” he said. “I charge $20 now.”

The flattop was quite popular then and he was the ‘go to’ barber till the day he closed shop.

“I have a tremendous flattop business,” he said. “I was noted for my flattops all around.”

Barbershops also used to offer shaves.

“We used to,” he said. “We all quit shaving when AIDS came in. Some went back, I didn’t. I will if a customer asks, though.”

Once upon a time, the barbershop was also the place where the customers, at least the adult ones, could look at certain monthly periodicals that featured ladies in various states of undress.

“I always had them in the back,” Reynolds said. “I always told people, you can look at the magazines, but put them back where you got them.”

The “magazine era” came to an end when one of his customers failed to do that and a non-adult got ahold of one and apparently, took it with him. His mom returned it.

“‘Al,’ she said, ‘you must have weird taste in reading.’ Then she pulls out this magazine. I picked them all up, took them to the dumpster, I never had another one in here.”

Reynolds’ retirement was bad news to many in the community.

That includes Jose Hernandez, of Eagle Grove. His second haircut with Reynolds turned out to be his last.

“This is my second time.” Hernandez said. “I’ve been looking for a real barber. I like the way the shop feels. We talked about being in the service. Our kids. How many years he’s been here. I enjoy spending a little time here.”

Hernandez put his money on the counter. The two shook hands and parted, Hernandez to find a new barber, Reynolds to enjoy his retirement.

He’s made many friends over the years. As often happens, customers become friends.

“I have a wonderful friend,” he said. “She was raised in a barber shop. She comes in twice a week, she loves sitting here, we converse, she looks out the window. She is just sick I’m going. God bless her.”

Reynolds is also a survivor.

“I came down with cancer 11 years ago,” he said. “We had to sell the cabin. It was kind of ironic, I don’t think we ever (spent) a whole weekend up there. I survived stomach cancer and prostate cancer that went into my bones. I’ve been fighting that for the last four years. It’s vicious, but we don’t give up.”

Standing up to work has also taken its toll. He’s fallen a few times. The last one resulted in an ER visit and he was out of business for three months.

“I had to learn how to walk again,” he said.

He’s grateful for the “one hell of a ride” he’s had over the years.

“I want to thank all my customers for being loyal and putting up with me while I was sick,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
If anyone had wanted to question barber Al Reynolds’ credentials, all they’d have had to have done is look on the wall. Reynolds proudly displayed both his current, and past licences on the wall.

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