Two barbers, an uncle and a nephew, reunited at a local barber shop recently — after more than 60 years.
During a visit to Minnesota last month, California residents Richard “Dick” and Charlotte Kellogg decided to surprise nephew Bruce Kellogg at his barber shop in downtown Litchfield. Dick hadn’t seen Bruce since he was a toddler.
Their plan: Walk into the barber shop and request Bruce’s services.
“Can a relative from California get a haircut?” Dick asked.
“When he first walked in the door I didn’t recognize him, until he said the word ‘California,’” said Bruce of the surprise visit.
After his retirement, one of the things Dick wanted to do was travel with Charlotte. And that’s exactly what they did. The couple hopped on a train and traveled the U.S., making several stops along the way. One of their most-anticipated stops was nephew Bruce’s barber shop.
“We’ve been traveling a lot. We took the Amtrak train to Oklahoma. We just decided to do it,” Dick said.
Dick was a beloved barber in California, where he owned a shop in Alameda, a town near San Francisco, and recently retired after more than 60 years in the industry. Dick, 81, reasoned that a hip replacement, two knee surgeries and two back operations were enough to put down the clippers ... well, at least to quit working full time.
Dick started cutting hair in 1954, back when a haircut was only $1.25, as Dick informed. He still does a few haircuts for close friends and relatives.
Dick’s work tended to be more on the athletic side, cutting hair for the Golden State Warriors basketball team and the Oakland Raiders football team. “That was just being in the area. They used to train in the area,” he said, being modest about his work, but adding that he was “well-known” in the area.
Dick’s infamous motto is “What happens in the barber shop, stays in the barber shop,” implying that he heard quite a few stories. “It was awesome. Going to work was like going to the movies,” he said.
A former machinist, Bruce decided to exchange tools for a red, white, and blue barber pole and entered the same profession as he uncle when he came to Litchfield in 1980. He’s been giving haircuts here ever since.
Bruce, who works by appointment only, considers himself half retired. “My wife says I’m half retired because I take time off,” he said. His shop is closed Sundays and Mondays. “But I love it,” he was quick to add.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Bruce said he he made the move to Litchfield because “it looked like a nice town.”
Bruce has one son and one grandson. “I hope he follows in my footsteps,” he said with a grin.
Bruce has a hunting, fishing and farming theme in his shop, a true Minnesotan feel. “He’s got the nature thing going on,” Dick pointed out. Dick’s shop had sports memorabilia in glass cases, he said, a memory of all the athletes who were valued customers.
When it was time to say goodbye, the Kelloggs weren’t sure when they’d see each other again, but hoped it would be sooner than 60 years.
“It’s been nice seeing him. I hope we can do it again,” Dick said.
