Check the photos at the bottom -
In our culture, the barbershop has a niche of its own.
Many barbers served Bluffton over the years. And, they have faded into the town woodwork.
We compiled a list of them after a hearing a long lecture on the subject about 40 years ago given by the late Rolland Stratton. He knew more about Bluffton than any other person on Main Street.
How did men select their barber with so many options? Several ways. One was politics, another lodge membership and another was church membership. There were probably several additional, now-forgotten reasons.
For example, Gerald "Tuffy" Swank was a Democrat and a World War II veteran, and thus a man with a similar experiences felt comfortable sitting in his shop discussing like-minded topics with other customers.
Bob Lewis was a Republican and, you see where this is going.
In my own case, growing up, my dad sent my brother, Rudi, and I to Ray Johnson. I think that was because Ray was a Methodist, like us.
Here’s a glance at some long-forgotten town barbers who kept Bluffton men clean shaven and well-groomed over the past 100 years.
We’ve posted this account as close to the words we heard from Rolland Stratton. So, think of this as a running conversation. Here goes:
I will list the men who barbered in Bluffton, as I recall them.
Harry Fisher had a shop in a complex of small rooms torn down when a Mr. Niswander built the new building that later became part of the expanded Citizens National Bank. He lived in a house on the Main Street lot that is now A to Z Meats.
He had a daughter, Virginia, who was in my high school class, and an older son, Paul. I think they moved away when I was in the third grade.
Tine McGriff had a shop next to Armin Hauenstein’s Drug Store. (Today it is The Food Store.) He lived in a house on the north side of what is now Bluffton Auto Repair. I used to shine shoes in his barber shop. I charged 10 cents and he got half of that.
His only daughter married Orrie Bloom and they had two lovely daughters.
Bud Dillman had a shop where Tuffy Swank barbered. Tuffy learned to barber from Bud. Bud had two sons who spent their life in Bluffton, Robert and Don. Tuffy barbered here all his life. (Swank’s Barbershop was located in a small area where Luke’s is today.)
Bob Lewis operated a shop on Cherry Street for a while, then moved into the lower level of what was Dick Boehr’s building. (Today it’s Stoney’s Barbershop).
J.O. Basinger operated in the same room before Bob Lewis. He moved here from Lima with a nice family. His son was Gerald (Curly) Basinger now of Pandora. Curly later ran the bowling alley in Pandora and had a barber shop there.
We had another Gerald Basinger in Bluffton at that time, so they called Curly “Lima” Basinger.
John Garlinger operated in the shop where Fisher at one time barbered. He moved his shop over into my basement (Today it houses the union hall, just north of Book ReViews.), where I had a bowling alley.
Earn Lewis barbered at one time in the same room as Mr. Fisher.
Ralph and Don Patterson had a shop for many years. It was a favorite hang-out for high school and college boys. The shop was on South Main Street and today is part of the Citizens National Bank property.
Ralph Patterson would sometimes referee sporting events. In later years, brother Ray, who barbered in Findlay for many years, came too Bluffton and worked at times in the shop.
Ray Johnson barbered for many years in an old building that he owned on North Main Street, (today would be across from Et Cetera Shop). In 1959 he built a new building. (Today it is PromoHits! and Steiner and Granger Insurance and Financial Services).
Today these barbers are all a part of forgotten Bluffton.
Post-script:
Craig Stone, owner of Stoney’s Barbershop, in the lower level of 125 N. Main St., has grandfathered himself in as perhaps the last remaining “lower-level” barbershop location in Ohio. A barbershop has operated in that location extending back to the 1800s.
Dick Boehr told us that the first barber at this location was "Curly" Basinger's great-grandfather. The shop was later headquarters for a Mr. Day, Bob Lewis, Dick Smith and later Jerry Marshall.
Stoney, current occupant, is a 2006 Upper Scioto Valley High School graduate and graduated from the Ohio College of Barber Styling, Columbus.
