GLOCESTER – After more than 30 years as a barber in Pascoag, Brenda Frazier has found a new work home, moving her business to a multi-use property in a neighboring village.
For the Chepachet native and lifelong resident, the move marks not only a homecoming, but also an opportunity to take some occasional time off from Hometown Barber Shop for the first time in decades.
The longtime village hair stylist has a sale pending on her property at 37-45 South Main St. in Pascoag, a three building complex that includes a four-family, two-story home built in 1850; a four unit garage; and the small commercial building that housed the barber shop for 23 years. Frazier purchased the complex in 1974 from Valentine Realty, according to town property records.
She employed at least a half dozen barbers during her time in the iconic shop, a busy location in downtown Pascoag that attracted foot traffic from neighboring businesses.
“People could walk there, (and) visit while getting other services in town,” Frazier said. “I thank them all every day, never taking them for granted. My time there was very rewarding.”
But the hectic schedule and management of the village complex afforded little free time for the longtime hairstylist.
“Everyone was used to me being there and being open,” she said.
Established in 1998, Hometown Barber Shop offers men’s, women’s and children’s haircuts, including fades, lineups, beard trims and traditional styles for women and girls. The barber worked at another Pascoag location for ten years before completing her apprenticeship and obtaining her own cosmetology license in 1987, and soon after, opened the shop in the stand-alone building that once housed a bakery.
“Burrillville has been a welcoming, happy place,” Frazier told NRI NOW. “Pascoag has given me many prosperous years as I have worked diligently with little time off.”
A sale is now pending on the .42 acre lot, which was listed in July for $550,000.
Hometown Barber Shop’s new location at 1191 Putnam Pike in Chepachet opened in late July in a mixed-use, barn-style building that Frazier and her husband Stephen have owned since 2002. The building previously held coin and vintage jewelry shop Village Coin & Bullion, which recently closed.
“It was time,” Frazier said of her former tenant. “When we bought the building it was an antique shop.”
Frazier has since renovated the commercial space and says it’s is a little smaller than her old shop, but she now feels more in control of the business, and at ease making her own hours.
“I’m comfortable being in my own space,” she said. “My new hours are comfortable and fun.”
One thing that hasn’t changed is her affordable prices, with even a lady’s trim costing no more than $18. She remains primarily a barber shop, keeping things simple, and does not offer color.
“I’ve been a life long resident of Chepachet and proud to say I am actually in my hometown,” Frazier said.
The business is now open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. To book an appointment call (401) 578-1805.
