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Grooming history
PHOTOS and Story
By William D. LEWIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Cosmo's Barbershop
Video
Youngstown barber Cosmo Pecchia has been cutting hair for 52 years in the East Side house he grew up in.
Cosmo's Barbershop
Gallery
Youngstown barber Cosmo Pecchia has been cutting hair for 52 years in the East Side house he grew up in.
Cosmo Pecchia, 73, still works in the house he grew up in.
The longtime barber has groomed the heads of generations of Valley residents and recently celebrated 52 years of cutting hair in the same location.
Homey features such as well-worn chairs where customers wait for a haircut or sit and talk after getting a trim, fill Cosmo’s Barbershop.
Pecchia often can be found between haircuts tending the garden behind his shop, where he grows lettuce, onions and garlic.
Old-time equipment including a barber chair, straight razors and a 1960s Coke vending machine adorn Pecchia’s shop. A small bottle of cola from the red and white machine still sells for a dime. Pecchia says he brings the machine out every May, which is the month he opened the shop in 1960.
After graduating from high school in 1956, Pecchia was unsure of the career path to pursue when his father suggested he become a barber. He attended barber school in Akron and served an apprenticeship with a local barber before opening his own shop in his family’s home at 1412 Oak St. on May 3, 1960.
A few years after opening his business, a setback came in the form of what he refers to as the “British Invasion.” With the popularity of British rock groups such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones sporting longer hair, barbers faced a challenge Pecchia contends still continues.
Many men at that time either didn’t see a barber often or frequented a beauty/hair salon for care of their longer locks. That tradition often was passed on to the children and grandchildren of that generation, according to Pecchia.
Despite the “British Invasion,” Pecchia still keeps a busy schedule. His phone keeps ringing, and customers keep coming through the door.
At 73, Pecchia is going strong and has no plans to retire. “Right now, I feel good. I can see and stand pretty good, and as long as I’m physically able and don’t scare people by shaking, I’ll keep doing it,” Pecchia said, adding, “Who knows? I’m still a kid.”