PITTSBURG, Kan. — At the end of the month, Dennis Vinardi will cut his last head of hair in his shop at 1121 S. Broadway Street. For 60 years, he has helped his regulars in the area maintain their hairstyles. 

“I love barbering, I still do,” Vinardi said. “I didn’t ever think about doing anything else. I had a great bunch of customers over the years. After a while they become like family to you. You can talk about anything and talk about their families.” 

Although many of his customers have died within the past few years, several of his clients have been with him since he first opened his doors. 

When Vinardi was growing up, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after he graduated from high school. He was raised in 50 Camp and attended a two-story schoolhouse, that when he was in 8th grade, there were 10 children total in first through 8th grade.

While he was a junior in high school, his regular barber suggested the career to him. 

“I would go to this barber when I was in grade school and high school in Arma,” he said. “And when I was a junior, he asked if I had ever thought about going to barber school,”

The barber gave him information on a specialty school in Wichita, and after reviewing the materials, he made his decision. 

“I said ‘I think I might try that,’ and I’ve been barbering ever since,” he said.

When he returned from barber school, he did an 18-month internship at Leo’s Barbershop in Pittsburg, then rented the little shop on Broadway, where he has stayed for 60 years. 

Vinardi said cutting hair just became second nature to him after so many years. 

“I love what I’m doing, I always have,” he said. “I’ve never dreaded coming to work, not one morning.”

Although he loves barbering, he said it was time to retire, and close the shop. 

With his retirement, he plans to tinker in his workshop, take day trips with his wife, and fish.

“I don’t have trouble finding stuff to do,” he said. “I’ll find plenty to do. Everybody says ‘you’ll get bored at home,’ and I say I never get bored at home. When you like the place where you live, you can always find something to do and tinker with something.” 

Vinardi’s last day of business will be May 30.

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.