INNISFAIL – After more than 30 years in the business, local barber Cora Brodie is calling it a day.
The 77-year-old Innisfail resident will cut her last head of hair on July 27.
“I’ve been a barber for 33 years,” said Brodie. “I love what I do.
“It’s not work. It’s just fun. I've never hated going to work. I've always enjoyed it, every day.”
Brodie first opened The Barber Shop in 1986, renting a location in the Eastgate Mall.
“I’ve always loved hair. I didn’t enjoy (ladies' hair) so I switched to men and I’ve done nothing but enjoy it ever since,” she said. “Men just want a cut and go. They don’t want appointments, they just want to be able to walk in and if you’re not busy, they get their hair cut. If you’re busy, they’ll wait if they want to.”
Her second career as a barber came at the age of 46 after she finished college and worked as a beautician for the first part of her life.
Most of her clientele are men but she also cuts boys' hair and trims beards as well.
Brodie and her husband have been Innisfail residents since 1981. She spent most of her career in the Eastgate Mall but four of those years, from 2009 to 2013, she worked as a barber in downtown Innisfail.
She returned to the Eastgate Mall in 2013.
“We used to have an IGA food store, a Toronto Dominion Bank and we’ve had restaurants and furniture stores,” said Brodie, noting some changes at the mall over the years. “All kinds of things have come and gone over the years. It’s very quiet now.”
Brodie has come to appreciate her regular customers who kept her busy in her 33 years in business.
“I love the people. They’re kind, generous, loyal. There’s good people in Innisfail,” said Brodie. “Thanks very much to all those people that have supported me.
“I’m going to miss the people,” she added.
After a long career Brodie said she is looking forward to her retirement.
“I’m going to enjoy being home with my husband for a change and have some good times to ourselves,” Brodie concluded.
