The past and present melt into one the minute you set foot into this stately store anchoring the southwest corner of the new Juanita Village. This is where the historic Bitz Barber Shop now resides, as it was recently forced to end its 40-year tenancy in the old Juanita Village. The little shopping center was razed in mid-March.
Along with a new location comes a new name and new owner. Bitz Barber Shop, formerly owned by Bill Bitz, is now The Barber Shoppe, and owned by Bill's stepdaughter, Brenda Gordon. But in spite of all the change, the work ethic and commitment to the family barbering tradition is absolutely old-fashioned. The shop is filled with refurbished working antiques from generations gone by as a tribute to the heritage of the barbering trade. Gordon wouldn't have it any other way. She and her mother are continuing 40years of their proud family business, which was originated by her locally renowned father.
Bill Bitz began his career in Spokane in 1961. From there, he moved his shop to Millwood and Houghton and finally Kirkland. Up through his retirement in 1993, he maintained a devoted following as well as a reputation for being a man's man. According to 26-year customer Dennis Tissue, "He's the Robert Mitchum type - tough on the outside but soft inside. He didn't want anyone to know he was tenderhearted. And he only knew one way how to cut hair. Short."
His customers remained ever faithful and continue to come back year after year. "When I moved here in '76, I was new to the community. I started coming here and just never quit," says 27-year patron Walter Timpe. Being in the National Guard, Timpe needed to get his hair cut monthly. "I would come every Friday afternoon on the Saturday before drill weekend."
Good haircuts weren't the only draw. After all, it's not every barber shop that serves "refreshments" in the back and keeps Playboys in the magazine rack. This kind of décor didn't impress his 18-year-old daughter, Brenda however. "In '77, I started cleaning up the place. Got rid of the ashtrays, no more Playboys, no more drinks," she says with a smile.
Behind her easy smiles and genteel demeanor, Brenda Gordon is an admitted perfectionist and a tough businesswoman. "I think I'm just like my father," she laughs, her eyes rolling.
Apparently, that's not necessarily a bad thing. An accomplished barber in her own right, Gordon earned a bachelor's as well as a master's degree in barbering and has been cutting men's hair since she was 18. Upon graduation from Folk's Barber College in 1977, she went right to work for her father. Life was not all rosy, however. "It was very challenging to work for him. The first 15 years working for my dad were definitely very challenging. The next 15 working with my mom have definitely been more fun."
Lee Anchan, Gordon's mom and Blitz's former wife, has been running the shop since 1993. Of her mother, Gordon says, "We're two peas in a pod. We're the same - business minded, people oriented, strong women."
Brenda, Lee and Kari Goings, the latter who started working at the Bitz Barber Shop in 1990, are thus far the shop's three sole employees. But Brenda is always looking for good barbers. "We'd love to get some quality haircutters in here. But I'm demanding. I only take the best."
Her high standards also apply to the construction and décor. When the tenants in the old Juanita Village (at 11883 97th Ave. N.E.) were notified of the demolition plans, Gordon immediately began shopping on e-Bay for antiques. "I wanted people to be able to come in and sit down in an antique barber chair and feel like you're in an old fashioned barber shop. I wanted something grand."
Grand it is. The custom built store is outfitted with immaculately refurbished barbering memorabilia, sports a 22-foot-high ceiling and features a handcrafted cherry wood back bar with 10-foot high mirrors. To top it all off are Gordon's three antique leather and chrome barber chairs, which she drove personally from California after having them refurbished and rechromed. In short, this store is Brenda Gordon's living testimony to her family's 40 year old love affair with barbering.
"It's like old times, good friends," states 25-year customer Tom Meluskey. "I've been coming since I was a young man. I feel comfortable here. It's like being home." Apparently, many others feel the same way.
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