Jill Schramm/MDN Barber Tona Stevenson enjoys a conversation with client Mike Nunziato while giving a haircut Wednesday, Jan. 7. Customers lined up this past week for one last haircut before Stevenson closed her doors at the end of the day Thursday, Jan. 8.

Stories, hugs and farewells abounded this past week as Tona Stevenson extended hours at her Minot barber shop to accommodate regular clients wanting a final chat and cut in the chair before doors closed for good Thursday, Jan. 8.

Stevenson said her 36 years in the business isn’t long in barbering years. The average tenure for a barber is more like 50 years, she said, but her time was cut short due to a past shoulder injury that continues to require medical attention.

“Barbers go forever because it’s fun,” she said. “I’m not quitting because I want to.”

Stevenson said some of her first clients were among those still on her list in her 36th year. She served the third generation in some families, with clients ranging in age from young children to 97 years old.

Jody Foster said her family started coming more than 30 years ago. She was looking for a barber for her 3 year old son. Both her children, as well as her husband and herself, ended up as clients.

“She’s become a great friend to the family and the kids that moved away really miss her,” Foster said. “She’s a great lady. That’s the main thing. She’s a really good person and really fun.”

Foster suggests Stevenson take up a second career in psychological therapy because her personality draws people into unburdening themselves and going away lighter.

As a sole proprietor, Stevenson said, she found the shop’s privacy created an atmosphere in which people felt free to open up and gain the mental health benefits associated with a friendly face and listening ear.

“But it helps me, too, because then I can get stuff off my chest. My customers know a lot about me,” she said. “As much as they think I help them, they help me.”

The conversations were helpful in other ways, too.

“I love to fish, so that helps out being a barber because I can hear the fishing stories and where they’re biting and what they’re using, and that’s an advantage,” Stevenson said.

Mike Nunziato became a customer several years ago at the recommendation of another satisfied client.

“She’s the only person that I let in my bubble,” he said. “I feel comfortable. It was always a good experience to come in here. We’re going to miss it.”

Both Foster and Nunziato said they plan to stay in touch with Stevenson.

“I’m going to keep her in my phone – speed dial,” Nunziato said.

Stevenson said she welcomes the new adventures ahead and will be looking for volunteer opportunities in the community, although she will miss the job.

“It’s sure been fun. Honestly, it’s just the friendships,” she said. “It hasn’t felt like even a job. It’s fun to come in, and every day is a new day.”

Stevenson said barbering runs in her family. An aunt, uncle and two cousins have been barbers, but her aunt in Montana was the biggest influence on her decision to enter the profession.

“I watched her success with the barber shop and she really enjoyed what she was doing, so I always knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Stevenson said.

She studied at Moler Barber College and entered the profession in 1990. She started at a barber shop at Minot Air Force Base and then worked at the barber shop in Town & Country Shopping Center. She later purchased New Image from Leonard Johnson, who worked with her for six months at the downtown location. She laughs now about how cold the downtown building was and the need to scrape frost off the inside of the window to watch for customers’ arrivals. The shop moved about five years later to its North Broadway location in 2002.

Stevenson said she operated the shop in traditional style. New Image had no website. It operated with a landline phone, an old cash register and a physical appointment book. The shop’s decor includes a bull’s head on the wall – a find she purchased at a local furniture store as a representation of barbershop gossip.

Stevenson served 25 years on the North Dakota Board of Barber Examiners, which handles barber licensing in the state. She also spent 10 years on the North Dakota Barbers Association Board, which focuses on continuing education and serves as a vehicle for barbers to bring concerns to the examiners board.

Stevenson sees more interest among women in a profession that remains male dominated.

“When I went to school, I was concerned about that. I thought I would be the only girl there, but there were four of us,” she said. “But when I came to Town & Country, I sat in the chair. Nobody would get in my chair. I was the first female at the barbershop.”

The male customers eventually warmed up to her and gave her a shot, though, becoming part of her loyal customer base.

New Image won’t be continuing under new ownership. Its space will be taken over by a neighboring business in its building.

Stevenson said she will be emptying her shop this week, and the 1960s barber chair that came with her New Image purchase will be among items finding their way into her home.

“I’m keeping my chair,” she said. “I can’t let that go.”