Dreams do come true.
Alex Neubauer, owner of Neubauer’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor, located at 109 N. Main St., St. Joseph, has realized his dream in becoming a barber.
From the time Neubauer was in high school, becoming a barber was in the forefront of his mind. But until three years ago, he pursued other avenues.
“I’d done a number of different careers, or jobs that I tried to make into a career.,” he said.
That all changed when the Paxton native visited a barber shop in Monticello. After watching the customer before him get a haircut and a beard trim, Neubauer decided to talk to the barber about pursuing a change in employment.
“It was time for a change,” Neubauer said. “I went home and emailed a school.”
Upon finishing the program, Neubauer was hired as an employee of St. Joseph’s Wicked Rascal Barbershop, which he purchased a year later and changed the name.
While Neubauer enjoys cutting hair and trimming beards, it was the social aspect of barbering that drew him in.
“I think I was interested in the social aspect and being able to be creative,” he said. “I like getting to express myself and see the joy on people’s face when they turn around and have a good haircut.”
“I hope (my customers) feel welcomed, that they come in for a good haircut and conversation.”
While Neubauer and his customers talk about “anything and everything,” he does like to sneak in a few barbering facts every once in a while.
Within Neubauer’s Barbershop and Shave Parlor sits a traditional white, red and blue barber shop pole. Neubauer said there are many myths around the origin of the barbershop pole, but the one he enjoys the most tells the story of how barbers used to also be surgeons.
“They did everything, including dentistry, back in the day,” he said.
In Europe, the barber pole is linked to bloodletting, with the red representing blood and the white representing the cloth bandages. The pole symbolizes the stick the patient squeezed to make the veins on his/her arm stand out.
In America, the pole also includes the blue stripe. Some suggest this is may be to represent the veins while others think it may be a show of patriotism.
“I’m glad I don’t have to do that. I don’t know if I would be doing that if that were part of the job,” he said.
The tradition of barbery is something that Neubauer believes is important.
“I really like to dive in and learn more about products, sculpting and shaping and angles of barbering; it’s not just cutting hair, it’s learning about the tools and the care of the tools, taking care of your customers,” he said.
Neubauer doesn’t want to just stop at status quo, though. He hopes to offer more services and products to customers in the future.
A fan of beards, Neubauer offers beard trimming, but he is also interested in adding a product line in his shop so that men can experience beard oils, body washes and balms before purchasing.
“There’s not a place to go for men to buy that stuff, unless you go online,” he said.
Currently, Neubauer offers men’s traditional haircuts, beard trims, beard shaping, straight razor shaves and razor fades.
To schedule an appointment with Neubauer, call (217) 840-0259, Tuesday through Friday 9 to 6 and 9 to 1 on Saturday.
