There certainly was no shortage of barbers in Holyoke in 1917, as over 65 barbers were identified in the Price & Lee City Directory. 1917 also marked a time when one particular barbershop location would span 9 decades of the 20th century. The address was 189 Main Street, in the Ducharme block, near the corner of Main and Appleton streets.
The barber who began this 9-decade stretch of service was Eugene J. Boisvert Jr. Mr. Boisvert was born in Greenville, New Hampshire, in 1884, one of 10 children of Eugene Sr. and Ovila Boisvert. He arrived in Holyoke in 1908 and, in August of 1909, was married to Regina Brouillard, who resided in Holyoke. The couple settled at 530 South Bridge Street in South Holyoke. Mr. Boisvert continued his career as a barber.
In 1916, he opened Gene’s Barber Shop at 189 Main Street, which he owned until the mid-1930s.
Albert Edward Guy was born in 1905 in Holyoke and educated in local schools. His early years were spent living at 523 South Bridge Street. In 1924 at the age of 19, he worked at Eugene Boisvert's barber shop at 189 Main Street. Mr. Boisvert's shop moved to 241 Main Street in 1935. Albert Guy followed to the new location.
Shortly therafter in 1937, Albert Guy opened what would be the long-running Jazz-Bo’s Barber Shop at 189 Main Street. His shop replaced the brief time time the "V" barbershop operated there. Jazz Bo was the nickname of Albert Guy, given to him by a friend based on the popularity of the neckwear in the 1920s.
The barbershop enjoyed success into the 1960s when there were three barbers working there. Albert Guy's son, was one of the barbers on the staff. When his father went into semi-retirement, Robert Guy succeeded him in running the business into the 1990s, surpassing 75 years of continuous barbershop service at one location.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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