Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999

Barber's fans drive miles for a cut above

Freddie Garcia learned trade watching his dad

   When Freddie Garcia became a barber, haircuts cost $1.50 to $2.
   "When I leave at night and lock the front door, it hits me. I can't believe I've been doing this this long," said Garcia, 54, whose faithful clients, from Sandia to Kingsville, don't think twice about putting miles on the ol' odometer just to get a good haircut from a trusted barber in Corpus Christi.
   It reminds the 35-year veteran haircutter of his own father, the late Gilberto Garcia, who was an Agua Dulce barber for 50 years.
   "People from the country, the workers from the nearby ranches, came in. He'd cut their hair and then he'd give them a ride home.
   "We lived next door to the shop, so if somebody drove up needing a haircut, no matter what time of day, he'd never turn them away.
   "He was a real likable guy, carried a good conversation. When he was behind that chair cutting hair, he was talkative, more than he would ever be at home."
   As a child, Garcia spent much of his time watching his father conduct business. It was at the shop that the making of Freddie Garcia the businessman and barber began.
   He earned his first pocket change shining shoes at the shop. "I figured if I was going to hang around there, I might as well make a little money."
   

Working his way up

   He then snagged his first regular customer, his cousin. He never got money, bartering for candy and soft drinks instead.
   "When my father wasn't there, I'd sneak in and cut my cousin's hair. I don't know if he got a good haircut but, boy, he was all powdered up by the time he left."
   Garcia worked two years here and there before landing a job at the shop he has been at for the past 33 years. He began as a barber, was co-owner for 20 years and last year became owner of Ross & Freddie's Hair Design in the Meadowbrook Shopping Center.
   To Garcia's delight, children and grandchildren of longtime customers have also become patrons. They book him for the milestones, like high school or college graduation, or their wedding day.
   Bobby Burris, a car salesman from Kingsville, said there's nothing like "having a few cold beers and visiting with Freddie."
   

Hair through the years

   Burris said his visits to Freddie the barber began 25 years ago when a group of buddies, on a night out, decided to get themselves a haircut. "All the guys have moved away but I still go to Freddie's every six weeks. I don't have to tell him anything. I can just sit in the chair and relax.
   "We're a good 40 miles away, but it's worth it for a good haircut. It's a good friendship that we've worked up over the years."
   Garcia has seen prices climb and product lines discontinued. "When I started out it was flat tops and crew cuts." Then came the Beatles craze, the hippie era, the Bee Gees look, the big hair of the MTV '80s, spikes and jet-black hair. One thing about Freddie not even time changes is the personal attention he heaps on customers.
   "I'm not like the big shops where it's buzz, buzz and that's it."
   Will people still need haircuts in the new millennium?
   "Gosh, I hope so. I'll never get rich, but it's a good living."