Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD – After a two-year absence from the Fort Fairfield community, Colin Campbell is once again cutting hair … this time from the comfort of his own home.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
COLIN CAMPBELL recently reopened Hometown Barber Shop in Fort Fairfield. Having been cutting hair the last two years in Caribou, Campbell’s new shop is located inside his 41 Fort Hill St. home. Attending a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony were, from left: Charlie Cormier, chamber board member; Janet Kelle, executive director of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce; Campbell, his wife, Beatrice; and Terry Greenier, chamber board member.
“Initially the business was located on Main Street in Fort Fairfield, and then I moved it to Caribou,” said Campbell. “I was on High Street, and then we were down to Rose’s Shear Magic where I rented two stations. We eventually purchased a home on Fort Hill Street and decided that it would be better to work from home, so I came back to Fort Fairfield.”
Campbell’s Hometown Barber Shop is located at 41 Fort Hill St.
“I missed Fort Fairfield,” said Campbell. “I started out here, and wanted to come back. With the rents going up everywhere, in order for me to come back to Fort, I had to find an affordable way because the population isn’t as big here. We decided to purchase this house … eliminate any shop rent and overhead … and completely renovate the house and put the shop in it. We started 26 weeks ago. The house was in turmoil. We ended up fixing the front porch, redoing the roof, and rewiring the whole house. The plumbing was shot and we replaced the heating system. Pretty much every room was redone and remodeled.
“It’s nice working out of our home,” he said. “My wife, Beatrice, has honey-do lists, but it’s nice to be able to be here with my family. If I’m not doing haircuts, I’m doing chores, and in the evenings I spend time with my family.”
Campbell’s brother and father are both barbers, but it was only after a military career that he thought about following in their footsteps.
“I moved over here from Perth-Andover, New Brunswick in 1996 and joined the U.S. Army. After four years of active duty, I did four years with the National Guard,” he said. “Since my father and brother are barbers in Oromocto and I grew up around barbering, I decided that’s what I wanted to do.
“I apprenticed under Alfie Cyr in Caribou and decided I wanted to open my own business,” said Campbell, who completed his schooling at the LaFrance School of Hair Design in Grand Falls. “I obtained my barber license, cosmetology license and hairstylist license from Canada.”
While everyone has their own particular hairstyle, Campbell has made some observations as of late.
“I find the women are going shorter with their hair, and men are getting more into coloring,” he said. “Young boys are either going long hair or short … there’s no in-between.
“I cater to mostly men,” said Campbell. “The women who come in here are usually the older women who like the short hairstyles. I charge the same for the women as I do the men … $8. It’s just a cut; I don’t curl their hair or flatiron it.”
Once Campbell gets reestablished in the community, he said he plans to add coloring to his list of services.
“I’ll be offering hair coloring and bleaching,” he said. “Later on, I’ll be offering men’s facial shaves.”
Campbell began working out of his home in early September, and said that business has been good.
“It started out slow, but people are realizing that I’m back,” he said. “I’d like to apologize to all my customers that had to follow me around so much. I know it was hard for them, but this is a permanent move. The business is in my home, so I’m not going anywhere. Hopefully they’ll be understanding that the reason why I was absent for so long was to try to get this business up and going and the house fixed.
“It’s a family business,” said Campbell. “When parents come with their children, their kids play with my kids. It’s very homey.”
Hometown Barber Shop is open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. To make an appointment, call Campbell at 472-6041.
