Emma’s Barbershop

To walk through the door of Emma’s Barbershop in Santa Rosa is to enter a portal to the past. 

An old school barber’s pole stands in the window, spinning its red and white stripes into infinity. The shop is small and narrow, customers wait for their haircuts in a row of comfortable chairs that face five barber stations arrayed in front of a bank of mirrors. Emma’s has been around a long time. Black and white photos of past employees and old photos of the interior of the shop line the wall above the mirrors, telling the story of this venerable place. Long, black combs swim in jars of pale blue disinfectant that sit on the counter below the mirrors. A cardboard display of oval-shaped combs that fit in the palm of your hand is tacked to the wall. Various other photos, drawings and random bits of memorabilia also adorn the walls including a three foot long replica of a pair of scissors. There’s even a two-sided vending machine that dispenses M&Ms and gum balls. A small rectangular radio, its antenna extended, the tip covered in tin foil to improve reception, is tuned to an oldies station and plays a non-stop stream of hits from the 60s and 70s. The host is none other than Wolfman Jack. The Wolfman has been gone since 1995 but through the magic of tape, his trademark gravelly voice lives on. The music provides a nostalgic soundtrack to my visits here.

As a kid our mom would regularly march my brother Ray and I  off to the barbershop for crew cuts, which were in fashion at the time. I never liked getting my hair cut. As the 1960s rolled on long hair became hip and I wanted to grow mine out; the length of my hair was one of the beachheads in the many battles I had as an adolescent with my mom. Our barber though was this really hip young guy named Eddie. I resisted the haircuts but loved Eddie. Remember The Young Rascals? They were a hit making machine in the 60s. Eddie was friends with one of the guys in the band, at least that’s what he told us. Ray and I were big Rascals fans. Every time we were at Eddie’s we half expected a member of the band to walk through the door. Maybe mom and Eddie were in cahoots, who knows? This memory came flooding back to me while at Emma’s today when out of that little radio came People Got To Be Free…by The Rascals.

Emma’s is in a shopping center about a mile from my house. For years I’ve strolled by but never once went inside. A couple of years ago I grew tired of trimming my own beard and decided it was time to turn this task over to the professionals. I’ve been getting regular beard trims there ever since. Whenever I’m at Emma’s, a steady stream of customers is always coming through the door, many are regulars who are greeted by name. There’s something so comforting about Emma’s; the music, the  buzz of the clippers and the quiet banter between the barbers and their customers provides a soothing soundscape to the haircutting experience.

Emma’s has been a barber shop on this site since the 1960s. A fellow named Al Navarro took over the business in the 70s and ran it until the early 2000s. Emma Flores and Bruce Gatta worked with Al for 15 years before buying the business in 2019. It’s been run as Emma’s since. Besides Emma and Bruce three other barbers work there, my favorite being Jamie. She’s a wise cracking middle aged woman with a twinkle in her eye and a ready smile. A colorful “do rag” adorns the top of her head. The barbers themselves are an integral part of the Emma’s experience and a throwback to a gentler, simpler time.

Emma’s Barbershop is an old school, no frills place where you get your hair cut not styled. Ten dollars for a beard trim is a small price to pay for the priceless experience of a trip to Emma’s. And yes, you can still get a lollipop when your haircut is finished!