New York barbers are one-of-a-kind and now they’re apparently getting their own museum.
Reamir, a chain of men’s barber shops with two locations on the UWS, plans to open the museum at 290 Columbus Avenue, between 73rd and 74th Streets. A sign on the door says that the shop is co-founded by Arthur Rubinoff, the CEO of Reamir. Rubinoff immigrated to the US when he was 14 from Uzbekistan, where his father had “introduced Uzbekistan to the ‘wash and cut’ and to his special blend of botanical ingredients for treating men’s hair and scalps,” according to a history on the Reamir site.
The site’s Instagram page shows various items that will presumably be part of the museum, including old barber chairs and striped barber poles. There’s also a photo of Tupac.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgzX1NjB3tu/
The location was previously occupied by a children’s clothing store.
Thanks to Keith Marder for the photo.
Now that so many UWS barbers are gone we get a Barbers’ Museum.
How about a Green Grocer Museum?
How about a Laundromat Museum?
Maybe we build a whole Disneyland with all the small shops that used to be so great for the neighborhood?
Would put an ersatz face on the UWS Mall.
Not going for laughs. Just whining.
Funny (get it?) how both Mark (“Dannyboy you just made my day, hilarious about the museum extensions you propose”) and Go10024 appreciated the humor, but you not-so-much.
Feeling a little grumpy, are we?
Or just whiny.
P.S. Your namesake had a REAL funny bone.
I vote for the Green Grocer museum. I’d like to visit it to remember what it was like to have markets in the neighborhood.
yay! good news… something we all can enjoy. Something that IMPROVES the neighborhood for all.
Hi Bruce
If everyone paid their fair share of living expenses this would really improve the neighborhood.
Sherm
Well, I guess it’s better than still-another coffee shop. But not by much.
Dannyboy you just made my day, hilarious about the museum extensions you propose
Just hilarious!!
Thank you Mark, I appreciate your appreciation.
It makes up for a lot of the trashing I have to read in replies to my comments. Many feel that the only way to deny my principled stand is to attack me.
But I know people who name-call and shout “troll” on the Internet do it because they have no cogent arguments.
Dear Pedantic Teacher,
Considering that you have done nothing but reply to Comments with spelling and grammar corrections, I have never entered a discussion with you.
Neither has anyone else.
The reason for that is that you lost whatever power you exercised over young people because you became Olde. I am sure they didn’t like it either.
Good luck with your pedantic punctuation.
My memory reminds me of the Broadway Barber Shop on 104th street &B’way. It had been there since the early 1900’s.The last owner was Kay an Englishman with Greek heratige. When he retired he donated the contents of the shop to the Museum of New York on 5th Avenue and 104th St.where it was supposed to be reconstrusted as it was.
Mr. Kay cut my hair when I first lived on the UWS in the early 80s. A real barber and a class act. There is a YouTube video of him in action – just Google “Broadway Barber.” If the Museum of the City of NY isn’t using his stuff, maybe these new museum folks could get some of it for their museum.
Bill, thanks for head’s up on the youtube video of Kay the barber. It brought back more memories of the shop and of course, Kay. I got my first haircut there in about 1939, before Kay was there. The owner then was Sam and the story goes that he won the shop in a poker game during the depression.Back to Kay, he was Eisenhower’s barber when he was president of Columbia University, and once a week the cast of a TV show on CBS starring EG Marshall, they had to look the same every week. I got the last haircut in the shop and after it closed Kay came to my office and cut my hair there.
Will Sweeney Todd be represented?
If we want a true reminder of old New York, they need to include tributes to Red Barber and Sal “the barber” Maglie.
Don’t forget the Barber of Seville!
I just found Reamir. Columbus and 84th. Got a great haircut there. $20!! Usually crowded.
Amsterdam Barber on Amsterdam between 73-74th is really good, nice barbers & reasonable rates.
A waste of space.
It’s better then having an empty store sitting there, like so many others now on Columbus.
…unless haircuts are offered.
Frank D had barbershops in several locations, right on Columbus Avenue in the W. 70’s. He even told me that he once cut Joe DiMaggio’s hair. I lived on W. 74th Street from 1969 on and was a customer of Frank’s at 2 locations. Those who knew Frank appreciated the “Social Club” atmosphere at his shops. Those truly WERE the Good Old Days.
Love it! I just hope it won’t be hair today, gone tomorrow.
Funny (get it?) how both Mark (“Dannyboy you just made my day, hilarious about the museum extensions you propose”) and Go10024 appreciated the humor, but you not-so-much.
Feeling a little grumpy, are we?
Or just whiny.
What many people don’t know is that back in the early to mid-1900’s, the UWS was know for its numerous barbers and their loyal customers. Some of the established and well known barbers of that time were mentioned above (104 & Bway; 72 between WEA and B’way; etc.). A beautiful idea and nice way to remember our Upper West Side past!
pssst!
There’s a great group entitled “Growing Up on the Old Upper West Side” that covers these topics, and I’m sure you’d enjoy.
Danny Boy, growing up on the old westside is much better than growing old on the new upper westside…enjoy the meetings.
Ageist much?
And, because I accept your immaturity and lack of judgement as only character flaws, I’ll help educate and reshape your flawed character with this:
Ageism
[ey-jiz-uh m]
Word Origin
noun
1.discrimination against persons of a certain age group.
2.a tendency to regard older persons as debilitated, unworthy of attention, or unsuitable for employment.
Origin of ageism
1965-1970; age + -ism, on the model of sexism, racism, etc.
Related forms
ageist, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
Let’s include all the music or Samuel Barber. If memory serves, he was an upper west sider!
Tiki is the NYC Barber. Ronda is the one from Tampa Bay