Six decades of Martin’s Styling Center ends as longtime clipper closes out career
Gary Martin has cut a lot of hair in his time. Six decades of haircuts (including a few provided to myself) equals thousands of years lowered and generations who have sat in his chair, or his father’s before him.
Yet time has finally come to a close for the Cedartown barber, who has no plans to pick up the shears again anytime soon.
Martin officially called it quits as November began after spending 60 years in the business in one capacity or another, giving cleanup trims to everyone from local politicians and police chiefs to farmers and factory workers.
He said he was grateful for the longtime support from the community for the many years they remained customers at Martin’s Styling Center.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of friends over the years who have sat in my chair,” he said.
He added jokingly with a chuckle that “I can’t believe they kept coming back!”
Martin hasn’t limited himself to just cutting hair and chewing the fat with customers while enjoying a bottle Diet Coke. He’s also served as a School Board Member, a Cedartown City Commissioner and currently represents residents in District 1 on the County Commission alongside Scotty Tillery.
Martin joined his dad Lewis in business in 1963 and remained in the same spot for most of that time, until a 2002 move to the strip mall where he operated with a single chair until last week. He held a Customer Appreciation Day back in August to celebrate the sixth decade in business at the shop.
Though he won’t be back to cutting hair as he had been for the past years at the shop, Martin said he will still visit some homebound customers who have relied on him to come over and visit with his shears and combs handy to give them a trim.
Otherwise, the only place he hopes to be seen working in the near future is on his putting game at the golf course.
