shave and a haircut, two bits

Jones Barber Shop: Down one brother, up one niece

Wed, 05/15/2019 - 8:00am

CAMDEN – The Jones Brothers (Roger and Lowell) have cut hair in Camden for longer than most can remember. Their shop is easy to find. Just go around to the side of the building at 1 Elm Street and look for the barber pole. Up a short flight of stairs and you’re there.

While there’s been a major change, business continues, and it stays in the family.

Tanya Winchenbach, of Rockport, who happens to be Lowell’s niece, said she has had a license to cut hair for 35 years.

“I had worked at a few salons in the area in Rockland and Camden,” she said. “When I had my first child I decided to stay at home and then there were three more children.”

At that point, she decided to become a home-school parent and did so for 28 years. Winchenbach said her oldest is 28 and her youngest is 19.

“I took two years off,” she said. “Lowell’s brother, Roger, had to stay home with his wife. When Roger took his chair out, Lowell asked my husband, Craig, to have me give him a call. I did and mulled it over for a week and then it all just fell into place.”

Winchenbach said she started moving in and moving out magazines that had been laying around for 20 years. She did a little dusting, a little painting and moved in the new equipment.

“Business has been steady,” she said. “It has increased each week. The guys that Lowell thought would be nervous about having a woman up here have all been relaxed and been good. We even have a few new customers and everyone has been positive.”

Winchenbach said Lowell has taken a little ribbing about the flowers and plants, but everyone who has come up likes the new look. She said she has been buying some antiques with which to decorate.

“I’m comfortable,” she said. “It’s a nice place to sit even when it’s not busy. I’m hoping to attract a few more women up here. I am a trained cosmetologist, though Lowell will say ‘would you like to try out the new barber?’”

Winchenbach said they are the best deal in town for a haircut.

“We used to be $8,” she said. “I had to twist Lowell’s arm a little bit and he said $9 might work, but I came in and just started saying $10. After a week, he was okay with the $10. Women’s haircuts are more of course for what we do, but a simple haircut is $10.”

Lowell Jones said the brothers were above what was then Cappy’s for 25 years before moving to there present location in 1990. The brothers have been cutting hair for 60 years and cutting hair together for 53 years.

There’s a new barber in town, but the shop’s a whole lot more.