New Business is a Throwback to a 'Classic'

Strongsville's newest business is a throwback to one of the oldest businesses around.

Classic Barbershop and Shave Parlor re-creates the feel of an old-time barber shop, from the fish mounted on the wall to the antique cash register to the old-fashioned straight-razor shaves.

The business opens today at 16617 Pearl Rd., in the High Point Plaza near Italian Village.

"Some things should be kept in the past, and barbershops are one of them," said owner Ryan Dolan. "We're very old-school, very traditional."

Dolan is bringing back shaves -- the kind where the barber puts a 170-degree towel on your face and finishes up with a rolling cream, cold cream and 11-movement massage.

"No man needs you to shave him -- he can do it himself," Dolan said. "It's the experience. Once you get up, you'll feel like a million bucks."

Need a haircut? Here, you'll finish with a neck and shoulder massage with an old-school vibrating tool.  

Dolan, 37, a longtime barber, said many of his clients are business professionals, but others are "just guys who care about how they look."

A haircut is $17; shave and facial $34; a facial alone is $15 and a beard trim is $10.

Hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 9-6; Friday 8-6 and Saturday, 8-3. 

Dolan, a former union carpenter who did much of his shop's renovation work himself, eventually wants to bring back the old custom of special shaving mugs for each patron, displaying them on a shelf. 

"We're a throwback," Dolan said. "A traditional, old-school barbershop for men."