SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio family-owned barbershop owner said the shop celebrated 76 years of business this past weekend.
Tony Salazar, owner of Veteran Barber Salon, said one of his favorite sounds over the last 34 years is the hum of an electric razor as he gives haircuts. But what he enjoys most are the conversations he shares with those in his chair.
“Communication with the customer is always important,” Salazar said. “Make sure we’re on the same page. “We can have all the skills we want, but if we don’t know what they want, it’s not going to go anywhere.”
Salazar has been operating Veteran Barber Salon, a community staple on the West Side, since he took over the business from his father. Salazar is a third-generation veteran and said he’s proud of his family’s time in service.
“I like to honor all the veterans that, you know, that have been before me and the ones that are continuing right now,” he said. “And, of course, to show that my uncle and my dad didn’t go through all of that for nothing.”
On Saturday, he celebrated the Salon’s 76th anniversary in San Antonio. His uncle, a WWII veteran who stormed Normandy, started the business.
“While he was doing D-Day, he was coming down under a parachute,” he said. “He was a paratrooper. I have painted a lot of paratroopers around the building.”
Salazar said he takes pride in his work in the Salon, painting murals of his family and time in service across the shop’s walls. Ahead of Veterans Day, he said he wants to remind other veterans that they’ll always have a place to relax and share stories.
“The camaraderie is always great. You know, there’s a lot of people that you (are) never going to forget,” Salazar said.