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Shayna Shazam, Dawn Taylor and Rich DiCristofaro share a moment at Schenectady's Wedgeway Barbershop on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

Dawn Taylor, Rich DiCristofaro and Shayna Shazam.

Shayna Shazam, Dawn Taylor and Rich DiCristofaro share a moment at Schenectady's Wedgeway Barbershop on Thursday, May 19, 2022.

SCHENECTADY — With a vintage wooden cash register, twin poles spinning and black apron-clad barbers wielding straight razors to customers on swivel chairs, you wouldn't be faulted for thinking you’d stepped back in time.

But the shop is alive and thriving and is about to chalk up another milestone anniversary. 

Schenectady’s Wedgeway Barbershop is celebrating its 110th year, making it the oldest barbershop in New York, according to Richard DiCristofaro, longtime barber and former owner, as well as one of downtown Schenectady’s longest-running businesses. (DiCristofaro might be right; New York City's self-proclaimed oldest barbership, Paul Molé, opened in 1913.)

The Wedgeway took off like a rocket after it was first opened in 1912 by an individual named Joe Vacca. 

The namesake building, located at the corner of Erie Boulevard and State Street, was a hive of activity. 

The shop’s clients included a who’s who of city’s royalty, including GE executives, bank presidents and the denizens of the Wedgeway, including 17 law offices and a flurry of office workers. 

And that’s not to mention American Locomotive and GE workers pouring in at a steady clip.

Men in the first half of the century used to get haircuts every two weeks, DiCristofaro said. Women would tell their husbands not to come home without a shave and trim. 

Then a mop-topped quartet appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.

“We had a thriving business until 1964 when the Beatles came to town, which initiated probably the longest depression of any industry to our knowledge, which didn’t end until 1975 or '76,” DiCristofaro said.

Thousands of barbers left the industry, DiCristofaro said, while countless others had to be retrained in order to staunch the bleeding to hairdressers. Barbers were schooled in new techniques and new tools, including use of handheld hair dryers.

That was just one of the roadblocks for DiCristofaro, who is now in his 60th year as a barber and the shop’s fifth owner.

DiCristofaro, 82, took over the Wedgeway in 1972 from Patsy Gallo, who himself had 46 years under his belt.

“And he thought his tenure would never be broken,” DiCristofaro said.

Like DiCristofaro, Gallo also honed his shave and haircut skills for 10 years before buying the business.

Gallo started his stint in 1926.

“He was a typical hardworking barber,” DiCristofaro said. “He loved life, food, poker and scotch.”

Gallo, too, worked for DiCristofaro part-time following his retirement, just like DiCristofaro is doing now for owner Dawn Taylor, who bought the business in 2012 and shepherded the crew to its current location blocks away on lower Erie Boulevard.

DiCristofaro recalled being met with skepticism when he got his start: The silver-haired old guard, he said, initially frowned at turning over the keys to a new generation.

“It was difficult to break in because very few wanted to give the young kid on the block a chance,” DiCristofaro said.

The then-president of Mohawk National Bank, Leonard Reid, was an early supporter.

Reid was a weekly client who wanted the works:  a haircut and shave, followed by a facial massage.

“I loved the man because I was almost always available and he was fine sitting in my chair and having me work on him,” DiCristofaro said.

Countless characters counted themselves as customers and trainees over the years, and DiCristofaro kept the stories rolling during a recent interview.

There were elevator operators, famous actors like early film-era Western star Bucky Jones, and a slew of apprentices who went on to launch successful operations in the Capital Region and beyond.

And then there was Gene Campo, a well-known gambler who declined to shave himself, opting for barbers to work on him three times weekly.

While he was there, Campo would work the rotary-style pay phones in the arcade of the former State Theatre.

Campo managed to make calls across the world without spending a dime through the creative use of a garter to manipulate the machinery.

DiCristofaro was once sued in small claims court because he trimmed a client’s eyebrows too short (the suit was withdrawn when his eyebrows grew back and he had a change of heart).

And it wasn’t uncommon for newspapers to go up in front of guys’ faces in unison if any of their bosses strolled in.

The Wedgeway Barbershop left its longtime location in early 2019 following disagreements with its then-landlord.

Taylor attempted to keep the shop preserved in amber, transporting multiple artifacts to the new location — including the original barber pole and cash register, which tops off at $9.99 — as well as maintaining a vintage look replete with a black-and-white tile floor and retro signage.

During her tenure, Taylor has attempted to expand their 2,000-strong customer base, reaching out to Union College and the 109th Airlift Wing.

“Things happen for a reason,” Taylor said. “When one door closes, another opens. This is the best move this barbershop could have made for survival purposes and comfort. But even I as an owner didn’t want to see change.”

DiCristofaro said he was confident that the century-old business wouldn’t skip a beat under her ownership.

He estimates he’s given between 290,000 and 300,000 haircuts, which come in-and-out of style.

And throughout the decades, other practices have survived, including the decision not to install televisions. 

Volume is key, DiCristofaro said, and perhaps clients sticking around to watch the tube would discourage passersby from stopping in under the misplaced impression that there was a long wait.

“We’ve always appreciated a brisk pace so you could go about your business so we could continue ours,” DiCristofaro said.

Pete DeMola reports on the city of Schenectady and the towns of Glenville, Rotterdam and Ballston Spa. He previously reported for the Daily Gazette and Sun Community News in the Adirondacks, where he won the New York Press Association's 2015 Writer of the Year Award for his investigative reporting. He previously lived in Beijing, where he reported on pop culture for several domestic publications and social media companies, as well as worked for a record label. He's a 2005 graduate of Syracuse University. You can reach him at pete.demola@timesunion.com.