On Tuesday, May 31, 2016, a new barber pole spiraled outside the remodeled enterprise at 205 E. Main Street, Morrison, IL. Ben’s Barber Shop welcomed visitors and patrons to the former Vogel’s Barber Shop. Ben Witt of Camanche, IA, is Morrison’s new “Main Street Barber.” During the week, Vogel’s son and former clients “came in and [some] had their hair cut. They mentioned how they appreciate having a barber back,” said Witt. “It doesn’t seem that [Vogel has] been gone for a little over a year. His memory hasn’t faded. A Main Street barber,” he added, “brings [people] to Main Street [businesses].”
For now, shop hours are Monday by appointment only; Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Arrange appointments by calling 563-321-2685.
Several ages of family members came to Ben’s Barber Shop on Tuesday: his grandfather needed a neck shave; father had a haircut; a cousin’s son, Tyler Green, received a haircut.
Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi agreed. “It’s nice to see the tradition of a barber on Main Street again. We miss the heck out of Tom Vogel. [Witt] did a very nice job” cutting his hair, Wilhelmi reported.
On Friday, June 3, Witt’s cousin, Eric Clarkson of Clinton, stopped for a razor shave. He uses “an electric shaver three times a week, because I have to, for work.” He received 25 minutes of pampering. Afterwards Clarkson observed, “It’s smooth.”
The razor shave process begins by applying a hot towel to the face, then Noxema to cleanse the skin and open pores, followed by another hot towel. Witt lathers the face and makes “the first pass, shaving with the grain. I go from top [of the cheek] down,” he said. Another towel wipes away excess lather, before he applies more hot lather. The “second pass goes against the grain. [He wipes on] aftershave with a cold towel and finishes with a towel fan dry, without patting” the skin.
Using a razor, Witt said he shaves “every day. All adults receive a neck shave with their haircut.” When asked, “Who cuts the barber’s hair?” he replied, Clarkson’s “wife is a Cosmetologist. She can do it on a Monday,” when he is closed.
Facial shaves with a straight razor are $12; electric razor shaves and beard trims are $7.
Haircuts cost $12–except for a buzz cut, which is $7. Seniors, Veterans, servicemen, and children pay $11. Options include butches, fades, flat tops, hard parts, and tapers. Each adult haircut includes trimming of nose and ear hair and eyebrows. He does no coloring or perms. A shampoo is $5, but Witt sells no hair care products.
However, for 50¢ he will sell bottled water or pop. The radio is on, as is the flat-screen television. Listen, watch, or chat with other men while sitting in eight, vintage, leather theatre chairs, salvaged from Platteville, WI. “They went with the feel I was going for, a retro, worn look.” Witt met with building owner Gary Milnes on Friday, January 1, to discuss a remodel. Milnes removed a pony wall; painted the paneling; hung a dropped ceiling; installed fluorescent lighting and laminate flooring. Not surprisingly, there is a sports theme to Ben’s Barber Shop decor. “I’m a Cubs fan,” he said. There are baseball pictures, golf and baseball shadowboxes, and metal signs. He likes to golf, but has not “yet made it out to” Cross Creek Golf Course. He spends his free time studying for his Illinois Barber License test, which is in two weeks. In the meantime he is certified with a Provisional License.
Customers are seated in a 1901 oak, brass, and leather chair, made in Illinois. Note the fancy arm caps and pierced metal foot rest. When he first saw it he exclaimed, “What a sweet looking barber chair!” At the time, it was covered in paint but is now refinished and reupholstered. “It looks great. I love it!” The pristine “Ben’s Barber Shop” sign awaits installation. He awaits approval from Morrison Historic Preservation Commission.
There is a “manly” shampoo chair and a John Deere tractor for children. Witt rode this one as a child at his grandfather’s house. “Kids love tractors. I know my kids do.” His grandfather gave it to him for the shop. “I just ha[ve] to give him three haircuts” in payment. He came to collect on the first day of business and asked for a neck trim.
Background Information
Ben Witt and his twin, Brian, are 28; the latter lives in Geneseo, IL. He works for Rock Island Housing Authority and as an attorney. They have an older sister, Elysia Cain, who works for an attorney in Clinton. Brian has been married to Jenny for 2.5 years; she teaches second grade in Camanche, IA. Their daughter, Hadley, will be one on Monday, June 20. His daughter, Kennedy, will be seven on Saturday, June 25.
Previously, Witt was an ET operator at ISCC in Clinton but was “laid off last May.” He stated the work he had done “didn’t mean much. I wanted to do a real[ly] skilled job and be around people. I wanted to own my own business. I talked my wife into letting me go to Barber College; ten months later, I graduated.” He did not look for a location in Clinton, but chose to apply for an Illinois license.
“I knew Morrison was in need of a barber. I loved the town. I thought it would be the right place.”
