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Business & Tech

New Barbershop Aims to Bring Back Old-Fashioned Service

Cory Danger, a longtime resident, has opened a '50s-inspired barbershop that offers hot razor shaves, gossip and more.

Amid high-end hair salons that pepper suburbia, Cory Danger's new shop stands out. 

With its bold retro signs and candy-striped barber pole, the Golden Crown Barbershop is a throwback to the '50s shops. There's a certain energy in this space, at 28971 Golden Lantern St., Laguna Niguel, where tattooed barbers can do everything from basic cuts to hot razor shaves.

"We do the same thing women do in a beauty salon—we tell stories and we tell lies," joked the 30-year-old Danger, a barber who is a longtime resident.

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Although he can do anyone's hair, Danger admits he has tried to create an atmosphere that is comfortable for men, just like barbershops of the 1950s.

The shop opened just a few days ago and will hold its grand opening Sunday, July 24. The Jarritos soft-drink company is sponsoring the event by providing free drinks and food will be catered by neighboring El Cortez Mexican Restaurant. A barbershop quartet will sing from 1-3 p.m. There will be giveaways for kids. Of course, anyone can get a haircut, too ($2 off all summer long).

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 "It's always been a goal of mine to open my own shop, a place of business that represents me," said Danger, who has been a barber for more than five years but has always worked for someone else.

"I've been in Laguna Niguel and surrounding cities for almost 15 years; it's my neighborhood," which is why he decided to open his shop here. "My oldest son goes to Niguel Hills, and my 5-year-old will be starting kindergarten at McDowell in the fall. It felt like the right place to be."

Before opening his own place, Danger worked for a few years at a barbershop in San Clemente.

"They have a steady flow of military, being so close to Camp Pendleton. I also worked at other shops, even giving door-to-door haircuts at one point," he said.

Danger became interested in hair and becoming a barber when he was a kid.

He started giving himself haircuts, then began giving them to his friends, "in backyards and garages. It seemed natural to go to school and get licensed so I could continue a career in barbering."

And while some small-business owners are feeling the strain of the recession, Danger says things are OK for barbershops.

"I like to say barbering isn't recession-proof but 'resistant,' " he said. Whereas "a gentleman used to get a haircut every month, they now get it every six weeks. No matter how much or how little money you have,  your hair will get longer!"

Three other barbers work in the shop, which has a checkered floor and barber pole in the corner. Its colors are green, black and white.

"We have vintage-styled chairs and a sink at every station. Every barber is skilled in men's haircutting, hot-towel shaves and conversation," he said.

He's excited about his new venture and says that what makes his barbershop different from most or from trendy hair salons is old-fashioned service.

"I'm bringing the traditional neighborhood barbershop back, a place where young and old, the righteous and rebel, Main Street and Wall Street can meet and watch a game or listen to some music and get a haircut and shave. No frills or gimmicks. What you see is exactly what you get."

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