Salzano’s Euro-style Barbershop
Address: 201 E 4th, 201 E 4th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Founded by Nicholas Salzano, the family Euro-style Barbershop provides the professional and personalized barbering that today’s discerning man prefers,
Like Father Like Sons
Four chairs. Nick’s waiting. This is one Nicilino “Nick” Salzano, native of his beloved Chiauci, Italy, and hard-working citizen of the United States.
Someday soon, he wants to see his four sons busily cutting hair in his downtown barbershop.
Then, he’ll retire.Hang up his scissors after more than half a century of cutting hair. Go back to his little village in Italy. A happy man. A proud father of four barbers.
Nick’s dream echos the hopes of all fathers. He wanst his kids to get along together for ever. But, he alsp wants his four boys = Domenico, Angelo, Guido and Giuseppe – to work together. Fpllow in his razor tracks. Give shaves and haircuts the old fashioned way.
‘do a little extra for the people was the way Nick put it. He stood – barbers are always standing – in his tidy shop just off the lobby of the Atrium Two Building.
As he spoke, his hands demonstrated the little extras. Scalp massage. Neck rub. The hot towel treatment. For the treatment, Nick plucks a steaming white towel from an ancient copper autoclave occupying a place of honor in the niddle of the shop.
In one fluid motion, he unfolds the towel. Excess keat escapes. Then, he pats the custome’s neck before briefly placing the towel over the face. If Nick’s dream comes true, it would continue a family tradition. He is big on tradition. And family.
In Italy, he (Nick) and his three brothers worked on and off with their father in the family dairy business. At the same time, he was training to be a garber. He started cutting heir wheb he was 12. At 19, he had his own shop. He left for America and Cincinnati in 1956. He immediately found work in the new world with his old world training as a barber.
Since then, he’s worked for many bosses and for himself, He has never forgotten what it was like to work with family members. Nick does more than dream about his four sons working together. He drops powerful hints.
His shop has four barber sinks. Two barber chairs are in place. There’s room for two more.
Gold letters on his shop window spell out “Nick Salzano & Sons.” So far, it’s “& Son,” Thirty-year old Domenico. Nick’s oldes son., in his seventh year of working with his Dad. The others cut hair at shops in Cheviot and Clifton. They’re learning the trade and waiting for business to pick up downtown to fill four chairs.
Nick got choked up when he tried to put into words what it means to work necy to one of his sons.
“it’s such a pleasure.” He said. “I don’t compliment him much. I’m very emotional. But, I always look at what he does. He’s good.”
Tears rimmed his eyes. Nick cleared his throat.
He told howhe’s been dreaming for 15 years about his boys being together. “I,ve heard a lot about handing down from father to son,” he daid. “Four brothers should ;ove each other, help each other, work together. I could train them to be a little like me.”
Then one day, he could walk into his shop and see four faces he loves standing by four barber chairs.
:That would be so wonderful.” He said. “I would be crying.”