Sneak Peek

Drexel Findley, long-time barber, announces retirement

​SUBMITTED
On March 29, 1964, in Plattsburg, Missouri, there was a Western Auto, Swike’s General Store, Dodd’s Dry Goods, Gardner Ditto Cafe, Malone’s Cafe, Stanley Variety, Bran’s, Carderon’s, an old courthouse with a jail house on the south side of the building, four car dealerships, three implement dealers, Fry Hardware, white-only seating in the restaurants except for Tillman’s Barbecue, where all were welcome to eat together. There was a railroad and depot with trains bringing multiple cars of cattle to be delivered to farms in the area.

​This is the day that Drexel Findley moved to Plattsburg, Mo. to start a new life. Drexel had purchased a half-interest in the barbershop on Main Street, with Ken Glor as his partner. The town had two barber shops, one on Main Street and one on Broadway, with a total of four barbers. Drexel purchased the other half of the business later and ran it until 1975, when the world changed and people did not get their hair cut as often.

In 1987, Drexel returned to barbering in a new location on Clay Avenue, where he has continued to cut hair. He has survived health problems but managed to overcome that and the loss of many great friends and acquaintances over the years. He has enjoyed the time he has shared with everybody. Now he has decided to retire due to the change in the Pandemic World.

In the Pandemic World, a barbershop can no longer be a gathering place to share stories and conversation among friends and customers. It has to be one customer at a time; sanitize between each customer; wear masks, gloves, and face shields; take their name, temperature, time they enter and leave. In this environment, it eliminates the warmth of customer service and friendship that is present in this kind of business.

This has led Drexel to make the decision to retire and take it easy. He has enjoyed the service he has provided and friendships that he has shared throughout the years in Plattsburg. Since the limit on gatherings, we will not have a retirement party, but he invites you to feel free to stop by and say “Hi” at his residence at 308 N. US Hwy 169, Gower, Mo., 64454, or drop him a card or note on his retirement.

​So stepping 56 years forward from where we started, there is no barber in Plattsburg, along with all the other places listed when we began.
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