Just a little east of the four corners in Sonoita, on Highway 82, is a little business, Cliff Rose Country Store. Attached to that charming place is the new barber shop in town, owned by Clark Wilson. He has the traditional revolving barber pole in action when he’s open and welcomes customers into his Old West Barber Shop for a haircut, a beard trim and some friendly conversation.
Wilson’s business features photos and items showing his passion for the West, especially horses. While a customer is getting his hair cut, he can admire all of the items on the walls, from antique harness pieces and bits to a well-preserved cow skull that hangs over the entry door.
After working in Michigan, Tucson and San Diego – and now as a resident of Elgin – the “almost 70 year old” Wilson has finally settled in his dream place to ply his trade.
His barber shop, which opened earlier this year at 3254 Highway 82, is just a 10-minute drive from the home he built with his wife two years ago.
“I’ve been a barber since 1970. I thought it was a neat, creative thing to get into,” Wilson says. “I was really introverted when I first started, and the more I met people the more I came out of being introverted.”
He recalls the ’70s, when long hair was in fashion, “I thought it was really neat back then that you could wake up in the morning after a night out, get a hair style and come out looking like a million dollars. I thought, wow, that’s something kinda cool you could share with other people.”
A Michigan native, Wilson attended Detroit Barber College and then started cutting hair in Detroit. He moved to Toronto for some advanced training, learning how to cut women’s hair as well.
“Barbers back then were going out of business because in the ’70s, men didn’t want the short military haircuts anymore,” he said.
So, because the styles had changed, he had to learn to cut all kinds of styles in order to stay in business.
The difference between cutting women’s hair and men’s hair?
Men, he says, don’t worry about the shape of their face and how the haircut enhances that.
While Wilson did do perms and coloring in the past, he now restricts his talent to traditional cuts only. No shampoo, no blow dry, just a haircut, keeping it simple.
In his spare time, Wilson spends time with his three quarter horses and hopes to be able to get out on the trails soon. Starting the business has kept him from enjoying his hobby and he eagerly anticipates saddling up and moving on down the trail.
Wilson, who offers his services Wednesday through Saturday, says he looks forward to meeting the people in the community. He doesn’t have a website, so customers should call him at 520-404-7874 for appointments.