Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” ….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community….
I need a barber, in every sense of the word.
Back in the late 70s I could get away with the Tommy Bradford look. Now, 45 years later, long hair doesn’t cut it from a cosmetic standpoint for me, and that’s not just my opinion, many others have weighed in.
I also need a barber because my guy, Bill Simpson, is retiring.
In fairness, Bill didn’t want to retire but both his body and his doctor strongly suggested that it was time to depart his location on the west hill in Owen Sound.
For almost 60 years, Bill Simpson has been a barber in the city.
And beyond the actual business operation, Bill’s Barber Shop has been a destination, for some people it’s been a destination on an almost daily basis.
The chatter in the shop almost always centered on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their never ending quest to win a Stanley Cup- which didn’t happen, again, in 2021
Simpson quickly shot down the rumour that the Leafs elimination at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens impacted his health- there was more to it than that he claims.
Along with the Leafs, Bill Simpson and his customers talked families, trips, city affairs and it was a regular occurrence to hear the phone ring and know that someone, somewhere, in the wide world of fastball was calling Bill in the shop.
So after more than 5 decades, Bill’s Barber Shop is closing, going silent in almost every sense of the word.
Yet with the closing, there’s a backlog of great stories and memories in the air and quite possibly, with a quick return to complete health, there may be many more chapters to be written during Bill Simpson’s retirement.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.