Goodbye to Pat & Joe’s
Hello, I was sad to read Greig Henderson’s article about Tony and Rocky closing down.
I started going to Joe’s barber shop about 1975. I actually went to that shop when I was very little, had my first haircut by Bill Hogg in about 1954. He didn’t handle longer hairstyles well when the Beatles arrived, so I moved elsewhere. When I moved back to the area, I went back, and there was Joe. He had cut my dad’s hair even earlier, when he had a different shop on Bayview near Parkhurst. I’ve been going there ever since…. to Joe, Pat, Tony and Rocky. Joe always asked after my dad, gave candies to the little kids (my daughter came with me so she could get some…I was pretty sure Joe gave her more than he did to the other kids…), and gave my two sons their first haircuts. That was more than 30 years ago. Then Pat kept on going after that, and I recall him saying he thought he should retire so the younger people could have a job. A good and wise man. Tony was his nephew and understudy, and Rocky joined him after a while. Yes, they did a great job, and fast!
I am sorry to see them gone, and hope they are both well. It’s a shame not to have the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck in person. They, and their predecessors, were part of the Leaside scene for so many years.
I’m going to give “Lilac” a try, and hope it works out well. It’s nice to see the sign saying welcome to Tony and Rocky’s customers. Still, I’ll miss the old, worn copies of National Geographic, and hearing about Tony’s kids, mostly grown now themselves. Time really does go quickly.
Steve Van Houten
Correction
In our September issue we wrote that Conservative candidate Yvonne Robertson is a resident of North Leaside. In fact, she lives in Don Valley West, but not in Leaside. We regret the error.