Time For A Trim?

Perhaps you gazed into the spoon in your cereal bowl in the morning; maybe you checked yourself out in the shop windows on your way to work; or I suppose you could have given yourself that awkward perfunctory glance in the mirror after you spat out your toothpaste last night and found yourself sickened by that maimed and weeping animal on the top of your head. Several times a year I find my self casually running my fingers through the hair on the back of my head wondering, Did I really go out in public looking like this?

Luckily, Ballard has a number of friendly barbershops that can help you out.

Smitty's Barbershop, 5819 15th Ave NW;
Smitty's has been around for sixty-five years, has three chairs and a television, and is inhabited by the adorable resident Pomeranian, Rex. According to one of the stylists, "Smitty" was the first of the four owners- before Fred, before Joice, before Jim- but whoever names their kid Smitty, I'll never know.

2-1/2 Happy Barbers, 6412 24th Ave NW;
This quaint little barbershop was closed when I stopped by, but I was highly amused and pleased by the sign in the window which displays precisely two and a half happy barbers.

Sunset Hill Barbershop, 6406 32nd Ave NW;

This shop has been used for the principle purpose of cutting hair for over one-hundred years, and owner Gene has been here for roughly twenty-seven of them.


Rudy's Barbershop, 5229 Ballard Ave NW;
Rudy's has been cutting hair in Ballard for about three years now, but started up on Capitol Hill in 1992- the original Rudy's was also a tattoo parlor, this one in Ballard is also part of King's Hardware, a pub; Rudy's likes the idea of combining businesses, and maintaining the atmosphere that came with the space before they were operating out of it.

Louie's Barbershop, 8342 Mary Ave NW;
Nobody was home when I visited this ridiculously cute residential-area barbershop, which is all tucked away behind the Safeway on 15th and 85th.

Ballard Barber Shop, 6207 15th Ave NW;
Bob Morris has owned and operated this barbershop since January of 1990. I can remember him waving to me after school everyday on my way to my old job at Ballard Camera. Bob prefers to work alone, but he's a great socializer. "[He's] The best barber in the world, and he's a renaissance man!" one of Bob's frequent customers since 1996, remarked.


Finally, this is my dad;
He worked at Sandy's Barbershop on Bainbridge Island for many years, and he has always been the one who has cut my hair- I'm not sure if I trust anyone else to even attempt to fix my uniquely broad spectrum of hair woes. I have been a repeat customer of my father's since 1991, because he doesn't make me pay him even the cliché'd two bits he's always singing about.


I'm sure it takes a lot of patience to cut hair all day, but it seems that all the Ballard barbers have a great sense of what their new customers want, and know exactly what their regulars are there to have done.
Best of luck in your hair follies!
-Sky