Barbershop

The barbershop building has been the site of several businesses through the years. The little building still stands on the west side of main street. In 1887, Reinhart Fiel built the structure for his harness and shoe repair shop. He was a master of his trade and served Ramona until his death in the 1920s.

The building was then remodeled for a barbershop, operated by Carl Kramer, who came to Ramona in 1906, from the Junction City area, and conducted his barbering business in several different buildings, until settling in the small building, which today is located at 207 D Street. In 1929 Carl sold his business to his son, Raymond.

I grew up south of Ramona. One day I came into town with my grandpa (I was just a little girl at the time), and while my grandpa conducted his business in town, I headed straight for the barbershop, all by myself. ‘I want a windblown haircut,’ I announced to the barber, Carl Kramer. I climbed into the barber’s chair and he began to cut. By the time he was done, I looked like I’d been stripped of hair. When Mr. Kramer said ‘That’ll be 25 cents,’ I realized I didn’t have any money, so I told him that I’d pay him the next time I was in town. When I got home, my mother saw the new haircut, and exclaimed, ‘What on earth have you done!’ and when I told the story (including the part about not having 25 cents to pay the barber) my mom wasn’t amused. She gave me a good spanking!
 

 Rachel (Koch) Epp - from an interview in the Ramona News, 2003

Other barbers, who snipped their way into Ramona history, were Victor Bernhardt, David Spellman, and Glen “Curly” Bernhardt, the last barber in town. Curly cut his last head of hair in 1966.

Through the years the little barbershop building has had several owners—Clinton Hanschu, Reign Anduss and most recently Pat Wick, who turned it into a gallery and gift shop from 2005-2007. In honor of the many barbers that cut hair in the building, Pat called her shop “The Barbershop Gallery.”

The building no longer holds a business, but you can still see the barber, giving a little boy a haircut, if you look in the window—they’re “scarecrow figures,” but they’re reminders of the good ‘ole days when Ramona had a barbershop, and you could get a haircut for “two bits.”