and took the razor from DiBernardo and decided to finish the more difficult right side himself .
When Compagnone grew older he became ill and began to look into selling his shop . Having grown fond of DiBernardo , he offered the shop and equipment to his father for just $ 300 . However , DiBernardo discouraged his father from purchasing it , since he was not yet 16 and did not have his official barber ’ s license . So instead , Compagnone sold the shop to another local barber , Lee Van Meter , for $ 800 . “ Jim made Lee promise just one thing ,” says DiBernardo . “ He made him promise to let me stay in the shop and learn until I got my official license .”
Although Compagnone passed away , Van Meter kept his word and allowed DiBernardo to work in the shop while he was studying and coming of age for his barber ’ s license . In preparation for the test , DiBernardo learned about things like sanitation and the different blood vessels of the head . When test day finally came , he passed with flying colors and returned to Van Meter ' s shop with his license in hand .
“ As soon as I got to the shop , Lee told me to pack up and take my tools home ,” says DiBernardo . “ I didn ’ t know what he meant at first , but then he told me he wouldn ’ t need me at the shop anymore . I realized that since I had my license , he had lived up to his word and didn ’ t want me encroaching on his customers , who often requested me to cut their hair .”
And so , DiBernardo packed up his tools and went home . That night , he had barbers lined up at the door of his mom and dad ’ s home , wanting to hire him because he was young and already a promising barber for his age .
The next morning he took the streetcar to Charlie Allesi ’ s shop on Harrison Ave . in Swissvale and Allesi hired him on the spot . After working there for some time , another local barber , Mike Spierto , who owned a barbershop in Homestead , pursued DiBernardo and wanted to hire him for his large shop with four barbers , a beauty shop , a manicurist and a shoe shine boy . “ I sure wanted it !” exclaims DiBernardo . “ That was the big time !”
The first chair of a shop with multiple barbers is usually designated for the owner , or the shop ’ s best barber . The second chair was the second-best barber ’ s chair and so on . When Spierto hired DiBernardo , he put him on the second chair — ahead of two other barbers who had been working in the shop for some time .
“ There ’ s something about his haircuts ,” says DiBernardo ’ s wife of 58 years , Judy . “ They ’ ve always been attractive and in demand .”
“ She ’ s my boss ,” smiles DiBernardo . The two met in 1954 following his service in the Army during the Korean War . DiBernardo spotted Judy in a restaurant while out with friends . “ I told my friends I wanted to meet her and they called her out to the car , but since there was no room in the car , she had to sit on my lap ,” he laughs . “ We started dating from that moment on .”
Following the war , DiBernardo returned to Pittsburgh and began renting his own shop in Swissvale , where his wife was originally from . On the first day he opened the shop in 1956 he had a ton of business .
Friends , neighbors and relatives came from all over and were waiting at the door for him . But then the next day — nothing . “ I sat here for three months and had no business !” exclaims DiBernardo . “ Mickey Spierto even came over and told me he ’ d give me back my old job at any time , but I told him that I wanted to stick it out in my own shop for a while .”
Haircut by haircut , DiBernardo got his name out there . After three months , business was booming and his shop was packed every day , all day . On average , he did 30 or more haircuts per day . “ When I had worked with other barbers throughout my life , I would watch them and try to learn from them ,” says DiBernardo . “ If I got a chance to cut one of their customers ’ hair , I did it [ the way ] I knew the customer would like it , but improved it and did my best to make it better . People liked that and then started requesting me , and so my business continued to grow .”
In addition to word of mouth , DiBernardo made sure to pick a spot for his shop that was located on a busy street . With so much traffic , people would see the “ Open ” sign from the road and stop in for haircuts throughout the day . DiBernardo officially purchased the property in 1960 .
“ I ’ ve been lucky to always have good business here ,” says DiBernardo . “ I ’ ll admit there have been times I ’ ve been a bit worried though ,” he laughs . “ When the Beatles made the long hairstyles famous in the 1960s , I
John DiBernardo and his wife Judy was considering expanding my business to dog grooming because business went down so badly . But I stopped and said to myself , ‘ Wait a minute ! Even if the style is long , people will eventually have to get it cut !’ and so I decided to just shape and style the long hair . If they wanted to keep it long , I let them keep it long , but I shaped it all over so it didn ’ t just lay flat — and customers liked that a lot !”
DiBernardo ’ s haircuts and styles became so popular among men that soon women wanted to come in for service . “ One time , I gave a teenage boy a shag cut hairstyle ,” he recalls . “ Then on my lunch break , a lady came into the shop and asked for the same haircut I gave her son earlier in the day . I told her I was sorry , but I didn ’ t cut women ’ s hair and she said , ‘ But you just cut my son ’ s hair and gave him a beautiful haircut ! I want that same haircut !’ Since I wasn ’ t in the business to begin cutting women ’ s hair I had to politely decline — but I remember she wasn ’ t too happy !”
Now , at age 83 , DiBernardo continues to cut hair part time at his shop . He ’ s had some of the same clients for more than 60 years and has made many great friends over the decades . “ Barbering was his calling ,” says Judy . “ It ’ s hard not to get emotional about it . He ’ s been doing this for so long and it ’ s a part of who he is . You can ’ t really fully retire from something that ’ s a true passion .”
For more information or to get a haircut , visit Dee ’ s Barber Shop located at 2010 South Braddock Ave ., open on Wednesdays , Thursdays and Fridays from 8:30 a . m . to 2:30 p . m . n
Woodland Hills | Summer 2016 | icmags . com 13