New barbershop to open Oct. 1

Paige Daigle could be working in a beauty salon. She’s got the training, and she’s got the experience.

Instead, the Granville resident is branching out in a different direction and will open VIP Barber Shop on Quaker Street Oct. 1.

The business is designed as a place where men and boys can get a variety of haircuts. Men can also get a full-lather shave and other services reminiscent of old-style barbershop. The two refurbished barbers’ chairs are Presidential models from 1960, and her mirror and work area are from a longtime New Hampshire barber shop.

“I wanted to do something different, and I wanted to open my own business,” said Daigle, who went to cosmetology school in 2005, but worked for a long time as a waitress at her parents’ restaurant, The Forum.

She did do some beauty shop work, but after the restaurant sold, she wanted to do something else, and she realized there was a lot she didn’t know.

“My cousin asked me how to do a low fade, and I said I didn’t know, they didn’t teach me,” she said.

Daigle found a barbers’ school in Albany, put in time working with veteran barbers, including a woman who has been a barber 35 years and a man who has been at it for 50 years.

“Let’s face it, times have changed and the business in the 21st century is geared toward women,” she said. “The barbershop is a vanishing childhood memory.

“I want to bring the joys of a barbershop back into the community,” she added. “I hope people can share my joy in rediscovering this vibrant place.”

There’s one additional old-school item coming.

“I have a barber pole I am going to put out in front,” she said. “I think that will really catch people’s attention.”

For more information, or to make an appointment, call 480-7123 or go to www.vipbarberlounge.com