He’s been a fixture in Olde Towne Okotoks for almost 30 years.
Whether in his own barbershop or, nowadays, at Image Hair Design, Doug Berg has been offering a hair cut, a few laughs and a conversation for 28 years.
However, through it all, the best part was his customers and some of them have been going to him for almost as long as he has been cutting hair in town.
“A haircut is just a haircut, but the people are all different,” he said.
Berg hung up the scissors and clippers on April 25.
He first opened the doors of his own barbershop on McRae Street 28 years ago.
When the location was closed and the building torn down, he moved into Image Hair Design on Elizabeth Street 10 years ago.
Compared to hairstylists, who are trained to style hair and keep up with changing trends and tastes, he said there haven’t been many changes for barbers during his 28 year in the business.
“The profession doesn’t change, styles kind of come and go, my styles don’t come and go,” said Berg. “I’m a barber, it doesn’t really change a whole lot.”
Berg made the career switch to become a barber in his 40s.
He had worked in a number of different jobs over the years. His wife, Donna, was a hairdresser and she encouraged him to become a barber. He went to barber school and set up shop on his own.
His wife was working at Image Hair Design when his barbershop closed 10 years ago and owner Wendy Shingoose said he was welcome to set up in her business.
Berg had one request, to work next to the front window.
He doesn’t take appointments and he said many of his regular clients will drive by to see if he’s busy. If not, he said they will stop and walk in for a haircut. If he is busy, he said they’ll keep on going and come back later. It was the same when he was in his own shop.
Berg has enjoyed working in the salon over the years.
“It’s symbiotic, we work well together,” he said.
Shingoose said he was a great addition to her business. Often, she said women will come in for a haircut and their husbands will go to Berg for a haircut at the same time.
“It’s made our shop unique, the people love the atmosphere,” she said.
However, it was more than that.
There’s also been lots of laughter shared over the years. Sometimes she’ll send a stream of water from her spray bottle in Berg’s direction or she’ll have a quick response for something overheard from his part of the salon.
“There’s lots of jokes and fun, we both are witty,” he said.
Okotoks resident Doug Raynor will also miss Berg. He said Berg was a good barber and he liked being able to sit down and have a conversation with Berg whenever he got a hair cut over the last three years.
“We just had quiet chats about what’s going on in town,” he said. “It was a relaxed visit.”
For Berg, he said he will miss it all, co-workers and customers, jokes and conversations all alike.
“I want to thank Okotoks, the people of Okotoks, the customers that I’ve served over the last 28 years,” he said. “They’ve been good to me, Okotoks has been good to me.”
