Santa Barbara native, Jorge Salgado, with his vintage barber chairs of which he now owns over 50 and counting.
A working museum of vintage barber chairs
Jorge Salgado bought his first vintage barber shop chair in 2011 from an online auction. It was a Koken, made in the United States in the late 1890s. The frame was made of wood with copper and nickel trimmed accessories. It had hydraulics with a pull lever to raise and lower the chair … state of the art for that era. It had a round seat and a round back with a cowboy theme. In the 1920s, Koken switched their chair materials from wood to porcelain, never to use wood again. This made Salgado’s Koken a rare find, indeed.
Over the next 10 years, Salgado successfully searched and shopped for additional chairs (he now has over 50) from the same era to fill his two popular shops on State Street downtown. “I’ve been all over the country collecting chairs from that time period,” he said. “I find them on Craigslist, at auctions, even garage sales. Some are pretty beat up when I first find them, and it takes some time to get them in shape. I consider the task to be an honor and my way of paying homage to a noble trade.” Restoring these chairs is not for the faint of heart or pocket, as the price tag for labor and materials is often north of $6,000.
Of all his chairs, Salgado’s favorite is a Koch wood Lion’s Head. (Koch was a competitor of Koken back in the day.) It features a round back and round seat with copper and nickel trim, and, of course, it’s framed in wood with a cowboy theme from the late 1800s. “It’s my gem,” he said. “The rarest of them all. There might be only three remaining in the world. I’m still debating putting the chair into service [in the shop]. Every part is original. It might just be mine to look at.” Salgado says he has no intention of ever selling his chairs and is always looking to build his collection and open new locations.
It’s more than just a haircut when customers sit down in Salgado’s shop. It’s a working museum and the barber-customer conversation is usually about the wooden aesthetic and the shop’s early Santa Barbara vibe. Salgado usually offers a beer or margarita (free of charge) as part of the experience. “We have a professional standard in our appearance and service: old school,” he said. “After all, we’re on State Street and we like to put on a show.”
During most of the Covid virus shutdown, Salgado moved three of his best chairs (all weighing in at 300-plus pounds) to the sidewalk in front of the 1223 State Street location. Dressed in early Americana attire, complete with vintage vest and hat, he and his staff offered passers by a “smokin’ deal” on a professional haircut and shave. Within a few days, lines began to form.
By Raymond Bloom
www.thebarbershopca.com @thebarbershopca
