A little barber shop near the corner of Mission and State Street is lighting up the holiday season with its old-fashioned storefront displays, something that the shop owner, Henry Franco, has been doing for 30 years straight.
Franco opened up Members Only Barber Shop (known simply as M.O.B.S.) back in 1995 with a focus on giving a classic shaving experience that’s hard to find nowadays. His annual Christmas displays come from that same love for the traditions of the past, when storefronts would be transformed into pieces of a winter wonderland.
He creates a new design each year, utilizing the entire shorefront and interior, from the floor to the roof. One year — at his original location on Victoria Street, before he made the move over to Mission Street in 2017 — his display featured a polar bear in pajamas. For this year’s design, he said he wanted to get “back to the essentials” with a Santa Claus theme.
“Christmas is not what it used to be,” Franco said.”I just want to bring back some of that joy. I enjoy the smiles it brings people, and I love to watch all the people stopping by to take pictures.”
Franco’s barber shop was a perennial frontrunner for the former Downtown Organization’s annual decorating contest. He proudly displays the awards from past designs in his shop, next to paintings of old displays gifted to him by local artists.
He said he’s happy to keep up the tradition after celebrating the shop’s 30th anniversary, and it gives his customers something extra to enjoy while coming in for a trim.
It’s also for a good cause. This year, Franco partners with Toys for Tots to take donations for children in need. Any customer who donates a new, unwrapped toy will get 50 percent off a service through the month of December.
“I love to do this for people,” Franco said in front of his shop showing off this year’s display.
For more info, including holiday shop hours, visit membersonlybarbershop.com.
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