When Ryan Helms rolled into town in October 2008, he had one goal in mind: Open an old fashion barber shop like the one he frequented growing up in Akron. Any doubts about whether the throwback shop would succeed are long gone. Helms recently moved into a new storefront three doors down (literally, not the band), which provides more space and more options (like a kids’ area, a lunch room for the staff, and bathrooms that offer more privacy than the old shop.
I was never much for barbers. Many of the women in my family were beauticians, stylists and cosmetologists, so I gravitated toward stylists. However, my buddy Bryan Schaaf got his hair cut there, and he loved it. He also did a story about Ryan, which you can read here.
After Schaafy got his hair cut there, I decided I would try it. Whenever you go in, Ryan always has a funny story to tell, whether it was the time he was trying to get on full-time at a grocery store; some of the characters who have darkened his door over the years; or some of the freaky things friends of friends do. Sometimes, people have strange requests for how they want their hair cut. There was that one time I acted like I was cutting Ryan’s hair and posted on Facebook I had a new job.
You can always expect to hear the blues playing in the background, and he generally always has some hot coffee ready for whoever would like to imbibe. When you get your hair cut, you will sit in an old-school leather chair, and your hair will be cut with clippers and scissors … don’t even expect any thinning shears. Not gonna happen. However, you can get an old fashion shave with a straight-blade razor.
For a long time, Ryan operated the shop by himself. He brought in a second barber, but that didn’t last too long. He brought in another barber on Saturdays, and it really helped move people through. One day, the former Kirstie Sowards was there waiting while her boyfriend at the time (and now husband, Mike Ogden), and Ryan talked about the difficulty he was having finding someone he could work with in the second chair. Kirstie (now Kirstie Ogden) told him that chair was hers, and she was coming to get it. And she did.
Kirstie was studying forensic computer science and gave it up to join Ryan. The two work so well together. They are always smiling, always joking and always having fun. They each do a great job cutting hair. While customers can choose the barber they want, I never do. Both cut my hair a little differently, but each make me look better when I leave. When I was there the other day, Ryan’s chair came open about a minute before Kirstie’s. I was preparing to settle into Ryan’s seat because it opened first, but he had to tend to some business. I told him I was not waiting, so I jumped over to Kirstie’s. It went something like this (notice how bad my hair was … I was just not able to get to the shop):
But, it didn’t take too long, before before she whipped into shape.
Before I knew it, Kirstie worked here brand of magic on my head.
They always finish off each cut by shaving your neck with a straight-razor and a hot towel.
If you are looking for an old fashion barber shop experience, check out Ryan and Kirstie at Helms Old Fashion Barber Shop in Wooster.
