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The Barbershop Buzz: Amidst a Move, Remembering the Old Days -
Back in 1988, Ken’s son, Dale, came in for a haircut. Now Ken has added Dale’s sons, Cooper and Luke, to his barbershop clientele. -
Longtime La Grange barber Ken Jurecka was joined by his friend and retired barber Charlie Ripper in late June to mark the end of an era. Combine the number of years the pair has been cutting hair, and you’re looking at more than a century of barbering at its best on the courthouse square in La Grange! (Elaine Thomas shot this photo several weeks before the state and citywide masking order.) -
When Ken moved to his new barbershop, he relocated his two 106-year-old antique barber chairs and the mirrors behind them. The chairs, which were manufactured by Emil Paidar Co. of Chicago in the early 1900s, have stood the test of time as both Ken (standing) and Charlie (seated) attested. (Elaine Thomas shot this photo several weeks before the state and citywide masking order.)
When he flipped the sign on the door at Ken’s Barbershop over to “closed” for the last time a few weeks ago, Ken Jurecka ended an era. He and his good friend and longtime fellow barber, 95-year-old Charlie Ripper, agree that the action represented a local milestone.
For the first time in the better part of a century, there is no longer a barbershop located on the courthouse square in La Grange.
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