Cutting and grooming for decades

by Laurie Gordon
NEWTON — There's a certain sort of barbershop that exists mainly in the movies or the imagination. It's that place with the striped pole in front, big, comfortable chairs, where you can get a cut for between $11 and $20 and where you don't need an appointment. That's John's Barber Shop: a Newton tradition.
For Karen Bell, it was a matter of optimism, a love and dedication to her customers and staff and her dad that got her through a time two years ago when she was told she would have 90 days to leave the landmark building at 55 Diller Street in Newton where the shop had been for years.
Bell was very upset at first. She'd worked for John, the shop's namesake, and then bought the business from him at that location. The shop was a staple on that corner on Diller Street and had seen generations come for haircuts.
Then, a customer said to her, “It's not the building that makes it a landmark. It's the people.”
With that statement, Bell knew what she had to do and got to work moving the shop.
As fate would have it, there was a vacancy just around the corner, at 277 Lower Spring Street. She signed a lease and she and her father, Donald Bell, began molding the space into an old-fashioned barbershop just as it had always been.
Bell and her devoted, long-time staff members are a team of all lady barbers and stylists.
“There's nothing 'cookie cutter' about our shop,” Bell said, “We've created a barber shop that's like a flash back in time with lots of character inside.”
First owned by Frank Butto, the original shop was on Moran Street. Butto moved it to Sparta Avenue and then the next owner, John Murgolo, who first worked for Butto, purchased it in 1982 and renamed it John's. He moved it to Diller Avenue. After graduating from Sussex Vo Tech, Bell began working for Murgolo, learning from his years of experience. In 1992, she took over the business and has been at the helm ever since.
“The new location has lots of parking and is located in the heart of Lower Spring Street,” Bell said. “We're right across the street from Newton Pizza in a vibrant plaza.”
To keep any business going for such longevity is a challenge. Bell attributes her success to “a great customer family base.” She said, “I've seen so much in the last 36 years. I've seen men come in and before you know it, they have their sons with them and then their grandsons. It's so great to see generations come here and kids grow up with our shop.”
Bell's only challenge? Letting people know where she is.
“I'm literally a block away around the corner from where I used to be,” she said. “We're in a vibrant plaza with a Laundromat and a beauty salon, and across the street from Newton Pizza and the old Camp Iliff building which was recently purchased by Thorlabs. We already have a number of customers who work at Thorlabs, and with the new building, anticipate continuing out great relationship with the company.”
Bell has a second John's Barber Shop location in Branchville located at 238 Rt 206 which she opened in July of 2017. “I wanted a second location to fully serve the county and to give customers a choice depending on their whereabouts which one they'd visit,” she said. “Also, on a personal note, I have two kids and my plan is to one day leave each of them one of the barber shops.”
When it comes to community, John's is a part of a number of local charities including Barks Animal Rescue, Ginnie's House, local church events and Karen Ann Quinlan. They also donate haircuts to the sick and elderly and do Hospice home care.
John's Barber Shop prides itself on accommodating its customers, and for that reason is always open on Labor Day, for back-to-school, and on Father's Day so men can treat themselves to a little pampering and grooming. Bell continues to perpetuate her long-time intrigue with the class and romance of barber shops from decades ago. She carries this on though to John's, and traditional barber shop practices and strong relationship with the customers are crucial tenets.
“Providing service in a shop with its own personality is one of the most tried and true ways to ensure its relevance and success,” Bell said. “We believe this is so important and it's our main focus at John's. We know people by name who have come in for years and when we meet new customers, are quick to learn just how they want their hair styled and cater to everyone's individual needs.”
The shop embraces the traditional role of a barber shop by striving to create a nice rapport among customers and barbers. The shop was specifically designed to be small, but not confining, and to make it easier for customers to talk to one another or for a barber to talk to someone other than the customer she is with.
John's Barbershop, in Newton, is located at 277 Lower Spring Street with ample parking. For hours and information, call (973) 383-2884 or find them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Johns-Barber-Shop-152647191417371/
John's Barber Shop in Newton (photos courtesy of John's Barber Shop)