In the Middle Ages, barbers were busy.
They cut hair. They extracted teeth. And they performed surgery.
Part of their profession was a pole. Patients were encouraged to grip onto it, to encourage blood flow (blood-letting was a key to success). The bloody bandages were symbolized by red and white stripes.
That’s a far cry from today’s barbers, who are more at home with scissors and gels.
Most barber poles have gone the way of leeches. But a few remain in Westport.
One is at the Riverside/Saugatuck/Treadwell Avenue intersection, across from the VFW.
It’s easy to notice. It’s outside Riverside Barber Shop, a small spot where owner Tammy serves many satisfied customers. (Click here to see.)
The barber pole was also last week’s Photo Challenge. It proved to be a snip — er, snap — for Dan Vener, Stan Skowronski, Matthew Mandell, Celeste Champagne, Jeff Jacobs, Fran Thomas, Fred Cantor, Dave Eason, Seth Schachter, Cindy Shumate, Karen Como, Jim McKay, Rick Benson, Claire Faucher, John Lisée, Mark Soboslai, Jerry Kuyper, Clark Thiemann, Michelle Garvey, Todd Ehrlich, Walter Rescorla, Pete Powell, Andrew Colabella, Nancy Axthelm and Michael Simso.
FUN FACTS: Decades ago, the small parking lot for Riverside Barbers was the site of a milk vending machine for Clover Farms … the forerunner of Stew Leonard’s.
And Martha Stewart’s catering business began just a few yards away.
This week’s Photo Challenge is much tougher.
If you know where in Westport you would see this, click “Comments” below.
And sorry — saying “a house at #68” is not acceptable. Be specific!
(Photo/Jay Dirnberger)
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