HAIRCUTS FOR THE ROAD; MOBILE BARBER SHOP GIVES TRUCKERS A TRIM.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer Fill 'er up with diesel, grab a cuppa cup·pa n. Chiefly British A cup of tea. [Short for cuppa tea, alteration of cup of tea.] Noun 1. joe and get a little taken off the top. Welcome to Castaic, home of the Giant Truck Stop, OK Hamburgers and the All American Cuts Barber Shop, the only mobile barber shop in California. ``I just had about six inches of hair cut off, got me a shave,'' trucker Norman Kelley Norman Kelley is a freelance journalist, author, and former segment producer at WBAI 99.5 FM. Kelley has written for numerous publications, including (but not limited to) LA Weekly, The Village Voice, and Newsday. said during a stop before heading back to South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. . ``I won't need another one now for probably six or eight months.'' On a sandy lot off California's most traveled freeway sits this one-of-a-kind father-and-son enterprise, pulling in truckers in need of a haircut Haircut 1. The difference between prices at which a market maker can buy and sell a security. 2. The percentage by which an asset's market value is reduced for the purpose of calculating capital requirement, margin, and collateral levels. Notes: 1. or beard trim or locals who stop by for a weave or perm Perm (pyĕrm), city (1990 est. pop. 1,090,000), capital of Perm Territory, NE European Russia, on the Kama River. It is a transfer center for rail and river traffic and a major producer of machinery in the Urals industrial region. . Or for the special: ``Free! Truckers' Deal,'' reads a coupon on the counter. ``Neck & Shoulder Massage. Help relieve ROAD RAGE See Web rage. with a purchase of a regular haircut.'' You kind of expect the unusual on a trek through Castaic - hole-in-the-wall eateries against a backdrop of new housing tracts; and endless lines of big rigs Big Rig was a punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area fronted by singer/songwriter Jesse Michaels. Michaels performed with the group after the break up of his previous project, Operation Ivy, and before forming the band Common Rider. lured from Interstate 5 by truck stops, with gleaming new shopping centers shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into nearby. At every glance, there are subtle reminders of the transformation from big rig heaven to yet another L.A. suburb. Grocery store manager Bill Arial, building a ranch house in the hills above Castaic, stops by the trailer regularly for a trim. ``I like to keep it short,'' he said. ``I can pretty much come in here whenever I have time and they do a good job. It's pretty laid-back.'' Owner Tony Bravo, son Anthony Bravo Esparza and barber Mary Tesch - ``I'm the only female barber in Castaic'' - make efficient use of the compact space in the 35-foot travel trailer A travel trailer or caravan is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle (or even a horse) to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable, sheltered and protected than a tent (although there are fold-down tent trailers [1]) . . Four salon chairs face a long mirror and there's a fifth at the sink. Under the long narrow Formica counter hangs a rod with cup hooks Noun 1. cup hook - hook (usually on the underside of a shelf) for hanging cups hook - a curved or bent implement for suspending or pulling something to hold the power tools of the trade - clippers, blow dryers and curling irons an instrument for curling the hair; - commonly heated when used. Called also curler . See also: Curling . ``When we went to get the state license, they kind of blinked and said, Why not?'' Tony Bravo said. ``They said they never had one of these before.'' There's a small store - really just a shelf near the step-up door - with toothpaste and such for truckers who don't have time to hit Rite-Aid. A small magazine rack holds GQ, Truckers News and Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated is the largest weekly American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the country. , ``the swimsuit edition,'' Anthony notes. ``I like it here. It's quick, and it's on the way to work,'' says Castaic resident Kris Shrode, hanging for a bit to chat after his haircut. Tony has a traditional salon in Brentwood, and Anthony runs the Castaic operation. The mobile shop was Anthony's idea. Having worked with his father in the movie industry, the pair often went on location to coif the actors. ``There's no overhead, and the people are great,'' Anthony said. ``In the movies, if a star didn't like you, you were out the door.'' All America is housed in a white trailer painted in the red stripes and blue stars of the flag and decked with a picket fence and beds of petunias and snapdragons - also portable. Crisp forest green-striped curtains hang around the window seats in the waiting section - a dining area in the days when this old trailer hit the vacation trail. About 25 clients a day trickle in for flattops, weaves, shaves and perms - there's no appointment necessary. Locals and truckers alike find the trailer and its flower garden homey. ``You'd be surprised how many truckers come in and say, you've got to water the flowers out there,'' said Tesch, a trucker herself for nine years. There's no salon-style attitude. Customers relax and shoot the breeze while waiting their turn in the chair. The barber-pole red, white and blue theme is actually a tribute to U.S. veterans, said Tony, who served in Vietnam and sports a button-down shirt emblazoned with the American flag. The trailer, he said, visits Veteran's Administration hospitals on weekends, where the barbers donate about 200 haircuts a month,` he said. ``I saw these guys, they looked pretty down,'' he said. ``A little pampering can really pick a guy up if you're a down-and-out vet or a truck driver who's been on the road all night.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Anthony Bravo Esparza, who runs the All America barber shop in Castaic, serves truckers and locals. (2 -- color -- SAC edition only) Trucker Francisco Valdez of Oregon walks back to his big rig after getting a trim. (3 -- SAC edition only) Mary Tesch -- ``I'm the only female barber in Castaic'' -- gives a customer a haircut in the 35-foot travel trailer. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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