When I immigrated to this country, I was living in upstate New York in a town called Elmira, and I found out I had second cousins who lived here. I came down to visit for a weekend to meet them, and I ended up staying a week. I liked it so much I moved here the following summer in 1995.
Barbers have something for everyone;people come in and say, “Hey, do you know a plumber or an electricity guy?”
Rocky River is a very compact city, I don’t think you can add much more for a town its size; it has the ice skating rink, it has the rec center, the pool, a couple nice parks — everything you’d need.
There’s a large Irish contingent in Rocky River, but the shop brings in people of all nationalities because they all want to experience a little taste of Ireland.
The Irish Barber is kind of a melting pot.
Rocky River is built on small businesses, and I get a lot of support from the people of the city. They call and write letters of support for my business to grow. We’re going to open up a place next door called the Corner Pub where you can have a drink.
If you’re going to wait, you might as well have a pint of Guinness.
A customer made the mural for the pub. He went to St. Ignatius High School. I’ve been cutting his hair since he was a kid.
