SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (WHNT) — Eddie Smith of Eddie’s Styling and Barbershop has been cutting hair since he was 17 years old.
His home base since the 1970s is downtown Scottsboro Square. Smith announced that after nearly 70 years of cutting hair, it is now time to hang up his clippers.
“I’ve been here since ‘77,” Smith explained. “You can tell it by all the junk I have laying on the wall,” said Smith.
Sitting in the barber chair is his close friend C.B. Laney. Laney was the first ever customer of Smith’s in 1957 when the local barber in Pisgah was too busy to give Laney a cut.
“I asked if Eddie could cut my hair, and that’s where the story begins,” said Laney.
“The barber at the time said, ‘What about helping me on a Saturday,’ and I said, ‘Man, I can’t cut hair good enough to cut in a barbershop,’ and he said, ‘You can too,’ and so, I did,” Smith explained.
Six decades later, in the barbershop located directly across the street from the Jackson County Courthouse, Smith, at 85 years old, has cut hair for the entire neighborhood, countless judges and attorneys.
It’s a career that spans multiple generations and their families. His customers say that Smith has rarely missed a day of work.
“This has always been not just a barbershop, but this has been a gathering place for the community. It has been a tradition that has been held through the years,” said Tony Wallingsford.
“I’ve had a good life, and I made a lot of friends. I had to quit barbering and take care of my wife, which I don’t regret because I will do anything for her. But when you love someone, you’ll do anything that you can for them,” Smith said.
The new owner, Ethan Scarberey, told News 19 that he plans to keep the original name of the shop.
A retirement celebration is planned for Smith on July 26.
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