GLENWOOD CITY, Wis. — Displayed along one wall of the only barber shop in Glenwood City, is a gallery of historic photos.
“That was the first Cadillac in town,” Norm Hagen says as he points to two men seated in a motorized buggy.
Norm points to another photo, and then another.
“That was the first bank,” Norm says. “And then you had the grocery store.”
Norm and local history have always been close.
So, maybe it was inevitable he’d eventually become part of it.
“Seventy-two years,” Norm says, casually putting a number on a streak that’s almost too long to fathom.
For 72 years, Norm has been cutting hair on Glenwood City’s main street.
In 1952, fresh out of barber school, Norm went to work at 75 cents per haircut.
Later, “I raised it to a dollar,” he says, “and boy they got mad.”
Today, a haircut at Norm’s Barber shop will set you back $10 for adults and $5 for kids.
Generations of Glenwood City kids can thank Norm for their first haircuts, including Alex Brigham.
"That’s me and Norm,” Alex says, pointing to a picture on the wall of a young lad in a barber cape.
“Norm giving me my first haircut,” Alex says. He is seated in the same barber chair.
Bill Johnson too was “a little kid” when Norm first clipped his hair.
Few men Bill’s age can say they’re still going to the same barber.
“I’m 69 years old,” Bill says.
But then, few towns can claim a 92-year-old barber, who first plugged in his clippers during the Truman administration.
Norm and his late wife Mary had four children, three of them boys.
“I retired before my dad did,” Chris Hagen says with a laugh.
The Hagen boys grew up in their dad’s barber shop.
“You got to learn a fabulous vocabulary you couldn’t use at school,” Chris says, laughing still.
“Or at home,” his brother Todd Hagen adds, as the laughter continues.
The need for a hair cut has never been a prerequisite at Norm’s.
When the café closed up the street, Norm’s customers brought him a coffee maker, so they’d have a place to gather and share the town’s goings-on.
On any given day, the barbershop conversation could be politics or the Green Bay Packers.
“A lot of the world’s problems were solved here in this room,” Bill Johnson says.
Lately the talk has taken a turn. Especially, since the sign showed up in Norm’s window.
“Norm’s Retirement Party!” the sign proclaims.
After 72 years, the only barber in Glenwood City will close his doors after the April 27th party.
Some of Norm’s regulars are suggesting he take his 1948 barber chair home with him.
“Put it in the corner of the bedroom and we’ll come out there and get a haircut,” Norm’s brother, Richard Hagen, says, repeating a request he heard at the shop.
But why now?
Why has Norm finally decided to retire – at 92?
“I want to try something else,” he says.
Norm hopes to spend more time helping his son on his farm. Beyond that, he’ll see what opportunities come his way.
One thing is certain, it’s not too late to add a new chapter to Norm Hagen’s history.
Boyd Huppert is always looking for great stories to share in the Land of 10,000 Stories! Send us your suggestions by filling out this form.
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