HELLO, CHERI.

Today’s post comes to you from Fort Worth, from the workshop we did during last week’s Southwestern Photojournalism Conference. We were set out on the town (specifically, Sundance Square), where I came across this classic barbershop & the man who makes it all happen:

JOE.

Meet Joe Guerrero, the best barber around. Or so you’d think if you stepped into his shop, a museum of sorts covered in old photographs and newspaper clippings all about his business & the prominent players that support it. Shelves upon shelves are covered in them, as well as old Coke bottles, vintage signs & a myriad of memorabilia that suggest you’ve stepped into an old country store, or time machine, for that matter –– not a hair salon stacked with fortune 500 frequenters. But that’s what makes it so magical: In the middle of the city’s most modern & business-oriented area, Sundance Hairstylist is a capsule of days gone by, a Texan type of Mayberry. Patrons sit patiently around for hours, happy just to chat. When they do get in the chair, it’s all smiles & laughs, & how are your home renovations & grandchildren & lots of remember whens.

And did I mention he does it all with only seven fingers? That’s right. Ask him how he got in the business & he’ll always answer the same: By accident. While working in a steel factory fresh out of high school, a punching press left him with a hole in one hand. His brother suggested he go into hair cutting, & he never looked back. It’s been 46 years since his first day, but Joe Guerrero’s no seasoned cynic. Armed with his scissors & a smile, it’s easy to see he’s still in love.

Here’s to finding a career that keeps you going!