Lee, of Lee's Klassic Kuts, is a very engaging and genial barber who also gives a pretty good haircut (personal experience).
His barber pole is a Marvy Model 55. The serial number (39355) dates it as a 1970s model, or thereabouts. It is a single light 55 and still works perfectly. The vast majority of working chrome plated barber poles similar to this one that one encounters will be Marvys. As of 2009 they had produced 82,000 examples of several models.
Dissatisfied with the quality of barber poles available at the time, William Marvy began manufacturing them himself. To quote The William Marvy Company: "On New Year's Day in 1950, Bill's young sons, Jim and Robert, threw the switch on the first "Six Ways Better" barber pole. It was an instant success. And an enduring one."
Here's a Marvy Barber Pole identification page:
Interesting information about this B.B.Pole
About Lee's Barbershop
Lee Flanders moved Klassic Kuts from downtown Trail to the former Lynn’s Treasure Chest this fall.(2012) He now has more space, free parking and a view of the mountains from his well-lit shop.
“There’s nothing better than coming in and saying, ‘Just give me the usual.’ Us guys are creatures of habit, maybe more so than women,” he said. “Guys would rather go see someone they trust, rather than someone they don’t know.”
Flanders grew up in Rossland and worked at Teck for nearly eight years prior to graduating from Selkirk College’s hairdressing program in 1984. He went on to work as a hairdresser apprentice in Cranbrook and Grand Forks before purchasing his first shop in Rossland two years later. He built his clientele in the Golden City for 21 years before setting up shop in Trail.
Still sticking with the nostalgic experience many are after, Flanders prides his space on its old cast iron barber chair and original barber pole that came off the Bank of Montreal building in Rossland.
It’s the “money” that keeps him going, he laughs, adding that he has a strong bond with his customers.
“You have to be kind of a people person and enjoy talking to people for sure,” he said.
“It’s not really that physically demanding, but mentally it can be demanding.”
While he’s had the odd female customer, Flanders said he discourages women who try to pop in for a cut and tries to stick with only a male clientele. He figures there are plenty of salons for women to choose from in Trail.
No appointment is necessary for a customer looking to pop in for a quick cut at 1903 Second Avenue.
Ref:bclocalnews.com