Without hair to cut at Eastwood Barber Shop, Charlie Long lands in a chair, props his feet on the sink and sits quietly.
Every week, he spends half his waking hours in the shop he’s owned for 50 years. In a small strip mall on the eastern edge of Frankfort, the shop nestles between two vacant storefronts. Charlie and his wife, Linda, moved from Booneville to Frankfort in 1965 after getting married. Then he attended Lexington Barber College with a friend.
In 2006, Charlie was diagnosed with skin cancer. He traveled to Louisville 33 times during eight months for radiation treatment, driving there in the early mornings but returning to Frankfort in time to open the shop at 9 a.m.
“Even when he got skin cancer, he never missed a day of work,” says Jennifer Long, 41, Charlie’s daughter.
Through the years, the stores around him changed names and owners. Barbers that shared the shop with him have retired or passed away, leaving the work to him.
“I haven’t found anyone else I trust to work with me here,” Charlie says.
The shop offers a look into Charlie’s interests, hobbies and relationships.
Family pictures and mementos cover his walls, including a flag he received from the U.S. Army after he sent it a NASCAR schedule. He’d heard troops serving in Iraq didn’t know when races ran. He’s collected the items around his shop from his dad and some of his customers. Many have been to Charlie for haircuts since childhood. Now they return with their children and grandchildren.
“My customers aren’t customers,” Charlie says. “They are my friends.”
