BOARDMAN -- Many Southern Park Mall businesses have come and gone since the shopping center opened

BOARDMAN -- Many Southern Park Mall businesses have come and gone since the shopping center opened in 1969, but one business that opened with the mall and has remained is The Razor's Edge.
For 14 of the shop's 33 years, Roger Flory has cut the hair of many regular and loyal customers, and has literally reshaped the look of the business.
About three years ago, when the shop's longtime owner, John Calabrese, wanted to go into semi-retirement, Flory bought The Razor's Edge from him. As a result, a role-reversal of sorts has taken place: When he's not in Florida, Calabrese, who recently returned to work after an illness, works for Flory and cuts and trims hair two to three days a week.
Longtime plans
Flory said he knew he wanted to cut hair for a living since his days as a student at David Anderson High School in Lisbon. After high school, he attended Akron Barber College.
Flory had to complete 1,800 hours at the school, which included lecture time, as well as practical and hands-on work. The process took him about a year to finish, and afterward Flory went to Columbus to take the state board test, which earned him his apprenticeship.
With that accomplishment under his belt, Flory spent time learning more about the trade by working with a master barber who supervised him, and that allowed him to put his book work and other skills to the test. "I did work on other students, then worked at a barbershop the rest of the day," he said.
Later, he returned to Columbus to take a second test and earned his master's license. Eventually, his customer base expanded beyond students, and Flory opened a barbershop in Lisbon after working five years in Austintown.
Relocated
However, he had difficulty staying in business in Lisbon because the closing of Crucible Steel in Midland, Pa., in the 1980s took away many of his regular customers. Shortly after closing his Lisbon business, Flory came to Boardman and found himself working at the mall.
Now, Flory gets many Pennsylvania shoppers who drive to the mall from New Castle, Sharon and other nearby communities in Lawrence and Mercer counties. Flory said he is happy with the shop's location near the J.C. Penney store.
"The wives shop, and the guys get their hair cut," he said. "I have a good time in here, and it's like the old-fashioned barbershop, except it's in the mall."
Flory expressed pride in the remodeling work he did to the business shortly after acquiring it. Flory said he spent close to a year putting in new floors and ceilings, refacing several cabinets and removing partitions that once separated the chairs from each other. "I made it airier and brighter," he said.
Flory said he plans to stay in the mall and continue to build his clientele, and he complimented his staff of five employees, including one female employee who has 22 years of service there.