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Show The Best of Spanish Fork & Salem 2007 Barber celebrates 30 years Heather Campbell STAFF WRITER It's fitting that this year's best barber vote goes to Larry Christensen at Chris' Barber Shop, since this year Christensen celebrates 30 years at his Main Street location. Christensen, who was born and raised in Spanish Fork, says being a barber was not his first career choice, but while going to school and dating his soon-to-be wife, his brother-in-law approached him about what he wanted to do in the future. Christensen's brother-in-law, who owned a barber shop of his own, convinced him to try barber school. Christensen later enrolled at Utah Barber College in Salt Lake City. Upon graduation, Christensen worked with his brotherin-law at his Evanston, Wyo. shop for a year, and then moved to Provo where he worked at a local shop there. Eight years later Christensen purchased the Spanish Fork barber shop from former owner and barber Gerald Argyle. According to Christensen, Argyle was leaving the barber shop to do some carpentry work, and asked Christensen if he'd be interested in taking over. Christensen says he ran the place for a little while, and later purchased the shop from the Argyle family. Christensen says what's unique about the shop is that^ when you walk in, "What you see is what you get." And what he enjoys most are the visits by patrons who he says, "sometimes just come in to read the paper," or visit with him about what's going on around town. "Sometimes they'll come for a haircut," he says. "Other times they just come in to visit." Christensen, who used to come into that same barber shop as a young boy, says not much has changed since he's taken over. "It still has the same chairs, the same benches, and looks relatively the same," he says. When he purchased the store everything seemed to be working well and he didn't see a need to step in and make changes. Christensen said jokingly that he figures, "If it works, don't fix it." When asked if he's ever done any really crazy haircuts, Christensen admits he's had a few young men come in for mohawks or something extreme like that. However, he says, "That usually doesn't last too long before I end up cutting it off." According to Christensen, the boys' mothers usually bring them back in to have it fixed, saying, "I won't have them sitting at my dinner table looking like that." "Most people around here are pretty conservative, and usually stay to the norm," Christensen says,"... they usually want the missionary haircut or something similar to that." While Christensen has been cutting most of his clients' hair for over 30 years, he says he always welcomes new patrons and looks forward to new visitors. And as he celebrates 30 years of business in Spanish Fork, he wanted to let people know that he issn't going anywhere anytime soon. "I plan on being around for another 20 years at least," he says. Steve Hardman / Spanish Fork News SNIP, SNIP HERE: Larry Christensen has seen many hair styles come and go in the 30 years he has cut hair in Spanish Fork. |