Confidant With Shears: Barber Reflects on Nuances of the Job

Mike Wynn, a 20-year resident of Middletown and owner of the newly relocated Mike’s Barber Shop, which was destroyed in the Feb. 2 building collapse of the 505 Main St., building in Middletown, provides some insight on why he enjoys his trade, now at 200 Metro Square.

Here is what Mike had to say in his own words:

“Barbering has been my livelihood for the past 15 years. But I’ve been barbering now for over 30 years. My livelihood prior to that was being a mechanic, but I got tired of that and decided I was going to focus on helping people and relating to people. 

"And my barbering was one of the tools I ended up using. I didn’t realize how in-depth barbering can be with people … until I saw it and opened up my own shop.  Barbering is personal. It’s relaxing because you meet so many different people. And for some reason, you get the best of people in barbering. 

"You know, it’s not like a place where you get the negative. They are not mad … they are not angry. They tell you about their problems … what they are going through.  And you get a chance to hear all the things — and therefore you are the guy in the driver seat and you have to come up with helpful feedback. 

"You have to be thoughtful. You are forced to think about what’s best — and not that you are actually telling them what to do, but you just listen to them. And sometimes when people talk they come up with their own solution. They just need to talk it out. 

"And then sometimes I get feedback from people who say, 'I just want to thank you so much for lending me your ear.' And being a man of many trades and experiences, I do have many similarities to share and believe I can provide some good counseling advice."

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