He has carried the first prime ministers, Supreme Court justices and hockey legends while sitting on a small back and sides, and now he could be yours.
The Victoria Barber Shop in Ottawa, where they quietly cut their hair and shave the straws of some of the capital’s most remarkable citizens for almost 100 years, sells one of its antique chairs.
I mean, a lot of celebrities are sitting there.- Robin Seguin, owner of Victoria Barber Shop
With its cracked skin and eroded footstool, $ 1,000 may seem like a bit of a stretch for this particular item. But according to the store owner, Robin Seguin, this is not an ordinary barber chair.
“A lot of people say, ‘Wow, this is just a chair.’ No, it’s not just a chair. It’s a piece of Canadian history, more or less. “I mean, a lot of celebrities are sitting there,” Seguin told CBC.
“It’s like a classic car because it has this chrome and ceramic and leather. “It feels good,” Seguin said of the chair. She asked for $ 1,000 and said she was willing to sell the other two chairs in her shop. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
To prove her point, Seguin has affixed a sign to the back of her “famous chair” with some of the local celebrities who have taken over: former senator and Hockey Hall of Fame admirer Frank Mahovlich, MP and former astronaut Marc Garneau, former Prime Minister Paul Martin and Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown, to name just a few.
“You never know when they may come in,” said Seguin, recalling another Supreme Court justice who wandered in shorts and flip-flops. He only discovered his identity later.
Among the portraits on the wall of the Victoria Barber Shop in Ottawa is that of former senator and great hockey player Frank Mahovlich, who is shown sitting in one of the original chairs of the store. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
The Victoria Barber Shop is hidden on a half-staircase near the corner of O’Connor and Wellington Streets, where it first opened in 1924 to serve the military. Due to its privileged location and unpretentious atmosphere, the store has become a favorite destination for Ottawa politicians, seeking an honest haircut and a half hour of rest.
“We keep it old-fashioned. There is no loud music. It’s not a party atmosphere,” said Seguin, who boarded about four-and-a-half years ago and became the sole owner of the store last year. “There is no gossip. What you say here and what you see here, when you leave here you let it stay here.”
Seguin shaves a client’s neck with a straight razor. She said that her customers appreciate the quiet atmosphere and the old-fashioned service of the store. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
This does not mean that her customers, including some of the famous names in this brand, do not trust her. It just means that what happens in the chair stays in the chair.
“It’s a familiar environment. You’re one-on-one with your barber and most men know they only need three things in life: a good wife, a good barber and a good bartender,” Seguin joked. “I know things about these people’s lives.”
Its customers are hard loyal. One has been coming to the store for 67 years, Seguin said.
“I’ve been sitting in these chairs for 50 years,” another customer said as CBC visited the store on Wednesday.
The three chairs in the store, purchased by a previous owner in 1956, were manufactured by Theo A. Kochs Company in Chicago. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
When she heard the owner of the building, Public Services and Procurement Canada, prepare to remodel the store floor, Seguin decided it would be a good opportunity to get rid of at least one of her three chairs, dating back to 1956, when a former owner bought from Theo A. Kochs Company of Chicago.
Seguin said the 66-year-old chairs, which turn, tilt and can naturally be raised and lowered hydraulically, are well maintained and in perfect mechanical condition. But with only two barbers at the store at any given time, there is no longer a need for a third chair.
“It’s been a few years since a third chair was used here,” he said. “It gets to the point where it’s okay, whether we cover it up again or sell it.”
Among the photos of famous Canadians that have been cut at the Victoria Barber Shop, Seguin added a reminder of the recent truck protest that paralyzed the city center. Seguin said its store remained open throughout, and loyal customers continued to make the finish. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
Seguin recently put the chair up for sale on the Facebook Marketplace and said it has already been bitten. She said some urged her to put it up for auction, where she could possibly get a lot more money for it, especially given its unique history.
“Other people are trying to bring me down, offering me $ 300, and of course I’m laughing,” he said.
If there is interest in its other two chairs, which were purchased at the same time, Seguin said it is willing to sell them as well, as the buyer can wait until it gets spare parts from a manufacturer in Toronto. He said the new barber chairs also cost about $ 1,000 each.
“I do not seek to make money, I just want to get over it,” Seguin explained. “It would be nice to have something a little more up-to-date in the store, but we want to stay with the old-fashioned feel.”
The Victoria Barber Shop first opened at this location on O’Connor Street in 1924, and is close to one hundred years old. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
As for where the “famous chair” ends, Seguin simply hopes that his place in the local tradition will somehow receive the recognition he deserves, even if he does not end up in another barber shop.
“I’m completely disappointed with being in a cave of the rich,” Seguin said.
The Victoria Barber Shop on O’Connor Street in Ottawa has changed little in its nearly 100 years of operation. Seguin rightly said that this is how her customers seem to like it. (Alistair Steele / CBC)
