Tony Stays Traditional At New Location

When Tony Tomasetti found out the lease for his barber shop was not going to be renewed, he knew that moving his business too far could cause the shop to fail.

"People are funny. They're creatures of habit. You move just a mile away and people say, "Oh I don't go that way, that's not my route." You lose a lot more business than one might think you would," Tomasetti said.

Tomasetti ended up not having to move very far. When Tony's Traditional Barber Shop closed it's doors at 106 Main Street, they reopened just three days later at 117 Main Street, almost directly across the street.

"I'm probably not even 100 yards away," Tomasetti said.

The new location used to belong to a shoemaker, but the space had been empty for years. Tomasetti had to install plumbing, renovate the electrical circuits and refinish the floors. Tomasetti didn't waste any time during those three days that his doors were closed. He strapped everything - the sinks, chairs and table - on dollies and rolled them right across the street on a Sunday afternoon.

Even though relocation was expensive, Tomasetti is just happy that it did not cost him his customers.

"We did it on a Sunday and opened on a Wednesday. We were only closed three days. I had to try to time the move so I would lose the least amount of time," he said. "You want to keep them on their schedule, and by being closed only three days I knew I would be alright."

The move, although close, did pose one problem that concerned Tomasetti - he no longer had his own parking lot.

"The reason I took that original space was that parking lot. I knew it was too big for me when I started but I knew down the road the parking lot would be a plus," he said.

People now must find parking along Main Street or in the lot off of Little Street. According to Tomasetti, even though the spaces fill up quickly, none of his customers have complained to him.

Tomasetti opened his shop almost nine years ago, right after his daughter graduated from college.

"I'm not a risk taker. It's a big jump, it's a big step. You don't want to lose your money. You have your family and people to support. It's not like you just have to worry about yourself," he said.

Tomasetti prides himself on keeping his shop traditional. He mainly cuts men's hair and trims beards and mustaches. There are no appointments, only walk-ins. Friday and Saturday are the two busiest days of the week.

"Men want to come in, get a hair cut quick, and get out. They don't want a big production," he said. "They like hanging out in the barber shop and talk about the Yankees and talk about sports."

Before opening his own shop, Tomasetti worked as a barber in Sayreville. He noticed that Matawan and Aberdeen had only one barber and decided he wanted to get into the business.

"I used to always pass Tommy's Barber Shop," Tomasetti said. "I just saw everybody going to him. He was always mobbed and I just thought, you know, this town really needs another barber shop."

Despite his success, Tomasetti didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a barber. When he graduated from Old Bridge High School in 1971, he was accepted to an art program at New York University and hoped to pursue his love of drawing.

"I always wanted to draw for Warner Brothers or Disney," he said.

As one of five children, his family was unable to finance an education at NYU. When Tomasetti was 22-years-old, he had only a high school education and no trade.

Tomasetti was an apprentice to a master barber for eighteen months. Then he took a written and oral exam to earn his own master barber license and be able to create his own works of art.

"When you draw something and it's done you look at it and get satisfaction. It's the same way I get with the hair cuts. It's like a piece of art and you're looking at it. And then the guy gets up and puts a baseball cap on," he said, laughing. "That kills me."