Legislative battles rage over who earned stripes

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Friendly arguments aren’t hard to find in a barbershop, but try cutting in on a hallowed symbol – that red, white and blue pole – and it may be time to hide the scissors.

Steeped in history and symbolism, those iconic cylinders spinning on storefronts across America are an increasing source of friction between barbers and beauticians. Minnesota and Michigan are the latest fronts in a spreading legislative campaign to reserve the swirling poles for barbers.

“The barber pole is the oldest sign in town besides the cross. It should not be displayed where there is not a licensed barber,” said Charles Kirkpatrick, of Arkansas, a barber since 1959 who keeps tabs on such legislation for the National Association of Barber Boards of America.

For many, the only real difference between a barber and hairstylist is the clientele they serve. But barbers say the unique services they provide make them different, and that laws are needed to prevent beauty parlors, salons and other establishments from passing themselves off as barbershops, including chain shops that bear the barber name and logo but don’t have a single licensed barber on site.

Cosmetologists argue that haircuts are haircuts and say the protective efforts are silly and chauvinist.

“They’re still trying to hang onto the vestiges that say they’re special. I can cut a man’s hair. Why shouldn’t I be able to put a barber pole up?” said Jeanie Thompson, president of the Minnesota Salon and Spa Association.

As the story goes, the red on the pole signifies blood, the white stands for bandages and the blue represents veins. The symbolism dates from a time when barbers also performed surgical duties from teeth extraction to bloodletting. They had rods, or poles, for patrons to grip to make veins easier to tap. Barbers often twisted rinsed yet still blood-stained cloths around those same poles before hanging them out to dry.

A barber – a term derived from the Latin word for beard – is uniquely permitted to offer shaves with a straight-edge razor and specially trained to use shears and clippers.

At least 10 states have rules that reserve the pole for barbers.

Ohio long ago outlawed the pole’s use by anyone but barbers. State inspectors find about a dozen violations a year, from salons to dog grooming shops. Howard Warner, executive director of the Ohio State Barber Board, said they can impose a $500 fine, but usually just order that the pole be taken down.

In the St. Paul suburb of Rosemount, a barber pole sits outside the Cahill Salon & Barber Parlor, where husband and wife owners Joel and Lisa Martin share space.

On one side is Joel Martin’s “Man Cave.” On the other, Lisa Martin’s clients can shop from carefully organized shelves of hair products and wait on white leather couches.

Lisa Martin said anyone who cuts hair should be able to display the pole, and she can’t understand why it has the attention of state lawmakers.

To Joel Martin, it’s about truth in advertising.

“A lot of men will not come into a shop that just says salon because they are looking for someone who has barbering experience,” he said. “It tells people driving by that that’s what they can get here.”