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For more than a century, generations of Conroe boys and
men have looked to the barber shops housed in the
“Little Jack West Building” for a clean cut, close shave
and clever conversation. |
On Tuesday, that rich history will be celebrated and
cemented as the Montgomery County Commissioners Court
and the Montgomery County Historical Commission present
the first Montgomery County Historical Marker to the
current shop in the building, Shepard’s Barber Shop. |
Photo Courtesy of
Montgomery County Historical Commission
Pictured are Bob Shepard, left and Leon Apostolo, right.
Apostolo currently owns Shepard's Barber Shop and
Shepard owns the historic building the shop is in.
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The dedication takes place at
8:30 a.m. at 116 Simonton Street in downtown Conroe. |
According to Larry Foerster,
Montgomery County Historical Society Commission
chairman, the building that the barber shop is in, has
had the distinction of being the oldest barber shop in
continuous use in Montgomery County and perhaps even the
state. |
The old building, constructed
in 1911 and then known as the “Little Jack West
Building,” has been consistently used as a barber shop
since 1912. |
The
Building’s Beginnings
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There’s no doubt that a massive
fire on Feb. 21, 1911 was a major turning point in the
city’s young history. |
According to a narrative
history drafted by Foerster and Sharon R. Russell with
help from Old Republic Title of Conroe, 65 wooden
structures on the east and south side of the courthouse
square were destroyed in the blaze. |
Conroe citizens quickly began
to rebuild and new buildings were constructed of brick
in compliance with a February 23, 1911 “Fire Limits”
Ordinance prohibiting combustible buildings in downtown
Conroe. |
Among the new structures was a
two-story brick building constructed by Pete West and
his son, Jack West, called the West Building at the
time. Today that building houses The Corner Pub. |
A second smaller building was
later constructed next to the West Building using bricks
leftover from the construction of the West Building. It
was called the “Little Jack West Building” and today
houses Shepard’s Barber Shop. |
The
Family Ties Behind the First Barber Shop
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According to Carolyn Cryar, a
cousin of the West family and respected Conroe
historian, Jack West was married to Susie Uzzell and
Henry Williamson married Willie Mae Frolick on Oct. 12,
1912. |
The history narrative describes
how Susie and Willie Mae were first cousins and very
close. |
Williamson had a barber shop on
Main Street that was lost in the 1911 fire. |
Bob Shepard, the owner of the
“Little Jack West Building” said Jack West must have
felt for his wife’s family and decided to help by
building a little shop to replace the one that
Williamson had lost in the fire. |
The smaller building was
constructed of red brick that was left over from the
construction of the West Building next door. |
It’s estimated in the narrative
that the building was completed in late 1911. |
According to Shepard’s
interviews with long-time Conroe residents, Williamson
operated the four-chair barbershop until 1938 when he
sold it to Stovall Thomas. |
Shepard’s Path to Becoming a Barber
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Shepard’s father was working at
a mill along FM 2854 when Shepard was born in 1935 and
was delivered at home by the mill doctor, Dr. Bartell. |
A few short years later, his
family moved back to the Conroe townsite and Shepard
attended Conroe schools. |
In his high school years, many
of Shepard’s buddies were going off to join the Army. |
While Shepard’s mother wouldn’t
agree to the Army, she did agree to sign the papers for
him to enlist in the Air Force. |
Shepard served as a medic
stationed in the Shreveport, La. area. |
While working as a medic, one
of his co-workers convinced him that he should go to
barber’s college and get his license so he could earn
some extra money while he was going to college with help
from the G.I. Bill. |
Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical
Commission
Pictured are left, barbers Stovall Thomas, Dalton Hearn,
Bob Shepard and Sam Brannon with shoe shine man Jesse
Mayers. The photo was taken about 1960 when Stovall
Thomas owned the barber shop.
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Shepard began cutting hair in
the barber shop now known as Shepard’s Barber Shop in
1959 when it was owned and operated by Stovall Thomas. |
In 1968, Thomas sold the barber
shop business to Warren Stubblefield, who owned the shop
until Shepard bought the business in 1971. At the time,
Shepard leased the building from the West family. |
The
legacy of a Young Barber
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A young Leon Apostolo had grown
up in the Conroe area and at 17, was trying to figure
out what to do with his future. |
Apostolo’s dad, Bernie, had a
friend, R. C. McWright, who had a barber shop and told
Bernie to send Leon to barber college and he’d hire him. |
Apostolo attended barber
college in The Heights neighborhood of Houston, and
after passing his exam in Lubbock, began working at a
barber shop on Main Street in Conroe. |
He said things didn’t really
work out there and he was sent to see Bobby Joe Shepard,
who had been a childhood friend of father Bernie’s. |
Apostolo started at Shepard’s
Barber Shop in August of 1978 at the age of 17. |
Shepard and fellow barber Mark
Slaughter mentored Apostolo and the torch has now been
passed on to Apostolo who owns Shepfard’s Barber Shop. |
Apostolo bought the shop from
Shepard when Shepard retired in 2013. |
Working
with People
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Both Apostolo and Shepard
conclude that they’ve cut three-and-four generations of
hair for some Conroe families. |
Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical
Commission
The wall
opposite of the barber chairs at Shepard's Barber Shop
is filled with memorabilia and photo from Montgomery
County's history. There's photos of Conroe in its
infancy and after the big fire of 1911. There's also
lots of memorabilia from Roy Harris' boxing fame and of
local singer Larry Butler and his good friend Willie
Nelson
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And there’s pictures on their
memorabilia wall of great-grandfathers, grandfathers,
sons and grandsons all standing together with the
barbers of the shop. |
Shepard said there’s no telling
how many first haircuts have taken place in the shop.
And in some instances those children are now returning
as grown men to have their hair trimmed. |
Apostolo and Shepard agree that
meeting people and hearing their stories is one of the
the things they enjoy most about being a barber. |
“I really enjoy meeting a lot
of interesting people and hearing a lot of interesting
stories,” Apostolo said. |
He added he gets a real sense
of satisfaction from making someone look good and feel
good. |
“That’s rewarding, when they
compliment me and say ‘Man, that looks good,’ that makes
me feel good,” Apostolo said. “That’s why I take pride
in my work and it makes me want to do my best to make
them look and feel good. That’s my reward.” |
The
History
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The wall behind the waiting
area at Shepard’s Barber Shop is filled with local
history and memorabilia that’s been given to the shop
over the years. |
Some of the photos show Conroe
in its infancy, the destruction of Conroe’s 1911 fire
and more. |
Then there’s the shop’s brush
with celebrity. |
Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical
Commission
A picture hangs on the wall at Shepard's Barber shop of
a young Elvis Presley getting a haircut at the barber
shop when he was in Conroe in August 1955 on the
Louisiana Hayride Tour.
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One photo on the wall shows a
young Elvis Presley having his hair cut in August 1955.
Presley was a part of the Louisiana Hayride Tour and
played a concert in Conroe along with local musician and
now radio personality Mary McCoy one August night atop a
flatbed trailer on the local football field. |
There’s also lots of posters
from famed Roy Harris’ boxing days and photos and
posters of local musician Larry Butler solo and with his
good friend Willie Nelson. |
Even the hat stand, checker
board and Coke machine are vintage. |
“I think people today are
hungry for that,” Apostolo said. “In the fast-paced
times we live in, they can come in here and feel like
wow, ‘I remember this from when I was a kid.’ It takes
them to a simpler time when things were at a much slower
pace.” |
Once when Shepard was trying to
make some updates to the shop, he decided sell the
old-style chairs in favor of more modern ones for $100 a
piece. |
“Boy was that a dumb stunt,” he
said. |
Turns out the old-style chairs
are what the customers wanted and those pieces of
nostalgia are still a part of the shop today. |
The
Building’s Upgrade
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In June 2000, Shepard purchased
the building from owners Billy Mark McKnight, Mark West
McKnight and Susie Rose McKnight, the grandchildren of
Jack West. |
Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical
Commission
Shepard's
Barber Shop circa 2006 before improvements were made to
the building in 2007.
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In March 2007, Shepard executed
a facade easement and conservation right agreement with
the city of Conroe. A grant helped restore and renovate
the facade. |
Although the faces of the
barbers have changed throughout the years, the style,
nostalgia and friendly service and banter remain. |
“It’s a really good shop,”
Shepard concludes. |
Much information in this report
is credited to an application for an official Montgomery
County Historical Marker for Shepard’s Barber Shop by
Larry L. Foerster and Sharon R. Russell with assistance
from Old Republic Title of Conroe, and presented to the
Montgomery County Historical Commission. |
Related
Content |
Montgomery County Historical
Marker |
The Montgomery County
Commissioners Court and the County Historical Commission
will be dedicating the county's first Montgomery County
Historical Marker on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 8:30 a.m. at
Shepard’s Barber Shop at 116 Simonton Street in downtown
Conroe (across from the Red Brick Tavern). This old
building, built in 1911 and then known as the "Little
Jack West Building,” has been continuously used as a
barber shop since 1912. This county historical marker
will be followed by other county markers designating
historical structures and locations throughout
Montgomery County. Everyone is invited to celebrate this
dedication ceremony. |
Related
Content |
Current Barbers and Barber shop
Info |
Current barbers at Shepard’s
Barber Shop include: |
Leon Apostolo - He has
worked at the shop since he was 17 years old and is
now the owner of the shop.
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Larry Skinner - Skinner has
worked for 23 years at the shop. He’s now
semi-retired and works Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
|
Rich McKinney - McKinney
lives in Kingwood and went to barber college at the
age of 65. He’s also known for his beautiful
baritone singing voice.
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Location: 116 Simonton St,
Conroe |
Phone: 936-756-3996
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Conroe Courier
October 11, 2015 |