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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Wayne's Barber Shop -- on Third Avenue and H Street in Salt Lake City -- has been a fixture on the Avenues for about three-fourths of a century. No one can really remember how long the little shop has been in business, but one customer, Don Morrison, (they call him "Moose") has been a customer for more than 60 years.
Wayne Pope ran the shop for about 43 years until his retirement last year, when he and his wife, Carol, decided it would be nice to serve their church in a missionary capacity.
Well, when the word got out that the little shop might close, there was much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. "The place can't close!" "It's an institution!" "It's a gathering place!" Soon, those wails turned to big sighs of relief when the word got out that the little barbershop would continue its long tradition. Maxine Shoell came to the rescue. Maxine had been barbering for over 10 years and took the opportunity to take over Wayne's Barber Shop.
Nothing has changed in the little one-chair shop except Maxine. The walls are still covered with photographs of every single customer. I took the time to look at all of the photographs and was so pleased to notice that many of the customers are long-time friends and acquaintances.
Old time barbershops are becoming extinct. Most shops now have been converted to salons. Wayne's is really a step back to the era when a visit to the barbershop was a ritual for both grooming and gossip. Barbershops were comfortable places where you enjoyed the "sameness" and tradition. Wayne's still is such a place.
Does Maxine plan on changing anything? "Not a chance," she told me. "I wouldn't even dare. Too many people love this shop and after my experience of the last eight months, so do I," she said.
There is nothing more permanent than change, and nothing that meets with more resistance. Yet nothing stands still. Maxine at Wayne's Barber Shop and her customers are doing all they can to keep the status quo and keep that which is good and appreciated. Oh, and "Happy Birthday" today, Maxine!
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
