In the Tavistock Mail of Sept.13, 1895 we see the advertisement of John W. Alles, a barber with shop and fruit store, Joe Steinman places him in what is now Morgenroths, the abode of many barbers. In 1902 he went on the road out of Stratford for Burrett & Deacon.

It seems that even then it was not all sunshine and bear's grease: to wit, this comment from the Gazette of October 28, 1897!

The barbers of Paris, Ontario are up in arms against the Board of Health for enacting the following stringent regulations: - "All the barber's metal instruments must be plunged directly after use, into boiling soapy water, and combs must be replaced by metal ones which are more easily disinfected. Scissors, razors and clippers must be kept over a stove heated up to 100 degrees C., or must be placed in a closed receptacle in the lower part of which there is a strong disinfecting solution. Shaving brushes before being used must be plunged into boiling water, all barbers must wash their hands between customers."

Successor to J.W. Alles was Andrew Kruspe. He also dealt in fruit and confectionery' in fact Len Lemp relates that Mr. Kruspe used to make his own ice-cream "out back" and used to place a small blue flag in one of his special dishes. He must have had a fine sense of humour; to wit, his rhyming advertisement in the Sept.18, 1902 issue:

Well! Well! Well!
Don't that beat all?
Why don't you give A. Kruspe a call?
For your hair trimmed neat'Of all barbers he can't beat.
He has choice confectionery in connection as well
And none but the best cigars he does sell.
He opens at eight and closes at nine
And for an easy shave it costs but a dime;
Now into this shop let's see you slide,
And patronize art and keep it alive;
Now all I ask is to give me a call.
And I'll do my best to suit one and all.

The Graphic of 105 reports that Mr. J.R. Dopp has been in business for the past twenty-seven year. He has a barber shop and pool-room and sells tobaccos and confectionery. It may be of interest to know that Mr. Dopp imported the first bananas in 1988 to be sold in Tavistock and only a few of these found a sale, the balance being thrown away. He also imported some pineapples, and these aroused curiosity to the extent that people inquired what kind of plants they were. In 1877 he visited California and while there acquired a general knowledge of tropical fruits. In later years he was assisted by his son Alvin, while his son Norman was editor of the Tavistock Gazette for Mr. Frank H. Leslie of Niagara Falls, as the published, Al Dopp later had a shop in the north corner of the Roth Black (now Pletsch's) and in the Commercial Hotel before renovations. When he left Tavistock for Kitchener he sold his business to Jim McKellar. Mr. Dopp later returned to Tavistock.

Mr. Joseph Steinman was an apprentice in New Hamburg and in Bayfield but came to Tavistock to take over from Mr. Sam Zehr, who had had the stand in the same corner as Mr, Dopp. Mr. Wm, Appel of Milverton who later took over Ray Waddle's Hardware Store worked for Mr. Zehr in the thirties! In 1915 Mr. Steinman moved to the new Wettlaufer block (Bricker Block) farther north on Woodstock St. beside the Arlington Hotel, He left here in 1917 to go to Saskatchewan. In 1931 he returned to Tavistock and opened shop in the Oxford Hotel, during the days of "no suds". When beer came back and Mr. Liebler needed the room, he moved across the road to the house now occupied by the Earl Weickers. His barber shop was in the front room, while he and "Dick" John Keutsch conducted a lunch room and pool-room with three tables, and later a bowling alley. On August 1, 1940 fire destroyed the premises; a one-storey structure supplanted it and an apartment was added at the rear. Mr. Steinman quit barbering in 1946 but continued to run the lunch and pool and bowling facilities with his sons Peter and Clarence.

The barbering was carried on in his shop by a number of tenants, first, Bill Leeman, who later moved his shop to his residence the old Ratz place, on Decew St., and now the Bonnie Doon Rest Home, then by Clayton Petrie.

At present we have two shops: Ken Lichti has just purchased Nos. 14, 12 and 10 Hope W., from the Lemps. He opened his own shop at 12 Hope St. W. in 1961, in what used to be the Bell Telephone Exchange Building, after the dial system came into town. He had graduated in April of 1960 from the Bondy Harber Schools Ltd. Of Toronto, and ten was employed by Ralph Graviston. Helping him on busy days, but independently, is Mr. Milt Litweiler.

The veteran among our tonsorial artists is Ralph Graviston, who has wielded comb and brush, scissors and blade, for over fifty years. On Feb. 27 when I called on him he was celebrating his 75th birthday. He started in Wingham, Listowel, finished his apprenticeship with seven years in Auburn before coming to Tavistock. He says his coming to our Village put the sun into total eclipse on January 24, 1925. You can check the records if you doubt this fact. With his good wife, he conducted a restaurant as well as his barber shop, where the present Morgenroth office is now located. "Dick" John Keutisch later tool over the restaurant.

From 1945 to 1965 Ralph moved his stand one door west, into the quarters now occupied by The Town & Country Beauty Bar. He is now operating in the former Dyck Block, (his late son-in-law was Leo Dyck). The block now belongs to William Koch. At the time of the Old Boys' Reunion in 1930 he employed assistants, as well as some time previously: Mr. McVey and Mel Harniss. His last assistant was Ken Lichti.

HAIRDRESSERS
Tavistock, since about 1940 when hairdressing came into fashion as a public service, and became an area of control for the Department of Labour, has had ladies of artistic skill to fill the bill. One of the earliest was Miss Florence Diehl. Who operated out of her home on Woodstock St N. At about the same time Miss Anne McDonald of Arthur opened a shop in Masonic Block, where Seltzers is now located, in the east half, after having enjoyed friendly quarters in the Walter Siegner home on William Street from 1939. After her marriage to the Editor, she sold her business to Miss Ruth Merlau, who is now Mrs. Lorne Fuhr. Mrs. Mary Croft came to town about this time and opened her shop on Woodstock St., N. and now continues her work at her home on Wettlaufer St. Mrs. Hilda Bourne serves her customers at 90 Woodstock St, S., where she lives with her daughters. Mrs. Stan Roth, nee Ialeen Matthies, learned her trade at Harrisons in Stratford and worked for some time in the USA. She continues to "give permanents" at her home on Woodstock St. S. The only down-town shop at present is the Town & Country Beauty Bar, owned by Mrs. Darlene Campbell, at 29 Woodstock St. S. Before this she was located in Lemp's block in the former quarters of H. Wilker's Grocery and before that the Bank of Montreal.