Tony’s Barber Shop of Stirling, NJ
There are not too many truly old-school places for people to get their hair cut these days. Even more difficult to find are skilled people to do the job! Thankfully, we found Tony’s Barber Shop over in Stirling, NJ (which is technically Long Hill, NJ).
Our favorite hair-cutting gal in the world moved on to different pastures. What a skull disaster! And for the past six or more years – we had been searching all over the state of New Jersey to find a “go to” haircutter. Hadn’t had a good one in that long!
We went to all sorts of places. High-end unisex salons. Regular local salons. Barbershops. Even chain stores like Great Clips. We felt like wandering nomads.
It was our mission to keep trying every place under the sun until we found someone qualified enough to call our “regular” haircutter. We had a lot of annoying disappointments – but at the same time got to understand exactly why we couldn’t just settle for “any old” haircut.
Getting your hair cut depends on the person – NOT the salon or barber
For argument’s sake – let’s just say there is really only one general “rule” when it comes to salons, haircutters, and barbers… the less “experience” a stylist or barber has – the less “prestigious” their place of employment is. In other words – someone with little experience may have to “start out” at a place like Great Clips before advancing up the ladder of success in the salon world. They usually have to work their way up the ladder in order to command higher prices, perhaps get better quality.
That said – it will still always depend on the stylist or barber whether you get a good haircut – REGARDLESS of where you go. You can have exceptional rookies – and horrible veterans.
Some of the super-expensive places we went – we got atrocious haircuts and had unpleasant experiences. Cocky owners, condescending attitudes. Those types of places were “one and done.”
At the same time – we’ve had mediocre experiences at low-end places too. Either people completely dispassionate about their jobs, or just folks not “cut out” for this field. And everything in-between.
A few places had nice barbers – and okay haircuts – just not quite “good enough” for us.
Plus – it’s very slim pickings when it comes to places that are permitted by law to use a straight-razor for necks shaves.
Why we like Tony’s Barber Shop
“Barbers” have sort of made a comeback. Many “trendy” and “hip” places are popping up all over the country. Typically bearded and tattooed guys. We tried those too – with GREAT disappointment. It seems their social media swag got to their heads. They were too cool for themselves. The ego and superficial nature of those new barberships suck. Sure, some places can create the latest styles – but we haven’t found one yet that we wanted to become a regular at.
Old school barbers. True barbershops with older, veteran barbers are sort of disappearing. Rents. Old age. Older customers not willing to pay higher modern prices. But we surmise that is a natural occurance. The strong barbers remain. Just in fewer numbers.
Such as Tony’s Barbershop. They have enough customers to keep on going. And with three great barbers. Tony, Joe, and Maggie.
You can go to any one of them and get a meticulous haircut for just $20. All of them are masters of their scissors. They pay attention to details. And don’t rush whatsoever.
And we get our neck shaves too.
Nothing more to add. Just a good, quality, old-fashioned haircut. For a fair price.
You cannot make an appointment. They’re open every weekday except Monday from 9am to 6pm, and Saturday from 7am to 5pm. If you need to call – their number is 908-604-2204.
Recommended!
