Half A Century In The Barber Business
Story And Photos By Angie Kay Dilmore
Two hundred sixty thousand. That is an estimated number of haircuts 71-year-old Gervis Miller has provided during his 50 years of barbering. “It’s been a ride!” says Miller.
The year was 1963. Miller had just graduated from high school and was drafted into the military. He went to Shreveport for his physical exam. There they rejected him due to a toe deformity. “They said I couldn’t run. Yet I ran track in high school!”
Miller came home and worked a few odd jobs, but otherwise had no life direction initially. A friend of his was attending barber school. Miller talked to his barber about the possibilities. “He told me if I went to barber school, he’d help me out with whatever I needed.”
Miller headed east to attend New Orleans Barber and Beauty College. After graduation, he worked briefly for a barber in Sulphur. Soon after, he filled a vacant position at Pousson’s in Westlake and never left. He’s been a fixture at this small-town barber shop for half a century.
Miller services clients from all walks of life — plant workers, doctors, lawyers … an occupational gamut. He has a special talent for easily conversing with all of them. Miller says in his line of work, communication is key. He has a knack for being observant and remembering specific things about his clients — and will ask them about these things the next time they’re in the shop. “That’s part of my job,” he says.
His clients range from toddlers to old-timers. He’s especially patient with children and has done many first haircuts. “I tease them and cut up with them. And they don’t cry.” Miller has cut hair for some families to the fourth generation.
Miller says he was popular with the high school kids. “I made it into the yearbooks!” he adds. “The kids invited me to their parties at night. They told me everything the next day, but I’d never repeat anything. They trusted me. People always tell me things. It stays right here [in the shop].”
Five Decades Of Changing Hair Trends
At barber school, Miller learned to give typical standard haircuts. Men at that time generally wore their hair short and slicked back. But like any fashion, hair styles often change.
The 1980s ushered in the era of punk rock haircuts. “Cutting the hair to stand up wasn’t what we were taught, but I learned how to do it.”
The mullet came next on the hair parade. “Short in the front, long in the back, like a country singer,” says Miller. “Then we got into the hair styling, with layered cuts. We got away from the greasy kids’ stuff and got into the dry look. I took courses in styling. I’m a master at clipper cuts. I do all my clipping without a guard. I cut everything freehand with a comb. That’s old school. I still use a straight razor to shave people. It’s takes a lot of practice to learn to use a razor. When I was in school in New Orleans, we’d practice on the winos.”
The styles changed again in the 1990s and early 2000s. Miller says now there’s no certain characteristic style anymore. Anything goes. “I have to be very versatile now. They get on the internet and they come in with pictures. I’m pretty good at looking at a picture and I can figure it out. It’s been interesting.”
Miller considers his work a form of artistic expression. He has his own unique signature look. “I can be out in a crowd of people and I will recognize my own haircuts. It’s like dotting an I or making a comma.”
A Microcosm Of Cultural Change
Through his work in the barber business, Miller has witnessed more than changes in hairstyles. He’s observed a cultural shift in our country from a slower, relaxed attitude to a fast-paced frenzy. Barber shops are different today. They don’t play the same role in our society that they did generations ago.
“When I first started cutting hair, Westlake was a lazy laid-back town. People had plenty of time. The old-timers came in, got a cup of coffee and a haircut and stuck around another two hours. They listened to the ball game on the radio; we didn’t have a TV then. They sat around the shop, played cards and talked about anything you can imagine. Today, people are in such a hurry.”
A Generous Spirit
As many of his clients will attest, Miller has a giving nature. If a client can’t pay for a haircut, Miller cuts his hair anyway. And he doesn’t keep tab of the IOUs. He’s happy to go to a hospital, or even a funeral home, to cut a client’s hair. For Miller, his work is about more than just a business. He considers his clients as friends.
Persevering And Overcoming Challenges
Miller says his generosity is reciprocated by his clients. His customers have supported him and remained loyal during some tough times in his life.
Over the years, Miller has endured several major health problems. He had back surgery for a ruptured disc 35 years ago. In 2008, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery and months of chemotherapy. Then he developed debilitating polymyalgia, which made it difficult to cut hair.
Eighteen months ago, he discovered he had heart disease. After a couple of bouts of stints, he had open heart surgery, followed by six months of cardiac rehabilitation.
During the months of treatment and recovery from these illnesses, Miller couldn’t work long hours. He’d need to stop and take occasional breaks. His clients and friends watched out for him. They were patient and concerned. “It evens out,” he says. “I help them, they help me.”
Each illness brought unique challenges, but Miller persisted and recovered. He wanted to get back to his clients. “I feel like I owe it to these people to be here because they have taken such good care of me over the years.”
Today, Miller is healthy and feels great. He walks or bikes most every day. He attributes his recovery from these illnesses to prayer, the doctors and his own perseverance.
Does Miller have plans to retire? “No,” he says. “I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t cutting hair. As long as my health holds out, I’ll keep working.”
The Perks Of A People Profession
Over the course of his career, Miller says he has enjoyed the relationships with his clients more than anything. “We laugh a lot. We joke and cut up. It’s not just a business. It’s a connection. It’s good medicine.”
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