Eagle Barber Shop

I'm never gonna be able to find my missing comb now

Good Evening friends! This is John, as we still look for a new home I wanted to give you guys a quick update. I was planning on keeping a chair at a shop in Nampa closer to home. But I was able to secure a chair at the Bolder Barbershop right here in Eagle!

I will be at Bolder starting tomorrow and will be there Tuesdays through Saturdays. I would love to see anyone again that wants to come by. The shop is located at 2794 S. Eagle Rd in that shopping center where the movie theater is between Hwy 44 and Hwy 26.

You can give me a call still at the shop phone number, my cell phone, or message here on Facebook.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and hope to see you soon!!

This is the development that EURA will try to fund with taxpayer money.

Three downtown Eagle buildings to make way for multi-story, mixed-use urban renewal project Two pieces of land with large parking lots and an existing businesses in downtown Eagle could soon give way to a multi-story, mixed-use building. For several years, the Eagle Urban Renewal Agency has been working on a project to redevelop two parcels on Old State Street with a more urban style, walk...

Hi guys and gals,

Melanie speaking. I usually let John do all things that have to do with words, communicating and the shop. I am not, nor have I ever been, eloquent or even good at getting my feelings out in a coherent manner. There is so much I want to say though and I think I must do that for myself.

It has been an absolute pleasure being in Eagle for the last 4 years and owning Eagle Barber Shop the last 3. Thank you, Cheryl, for building a business that made me feel at home while at work for the first time in my life. It was a joy to go to work (minus the commute, you all know that, because I complained every.single.day!)

I am full of so many conflicting emotions this last year since the Eagle Urban Renewal Agency bought our building and overpaid for it beyond my ability to match the price ($390,000 of taxpayer money for .08 acres while selling it to the developer for $132,000) and that’s another thing you very patient patrons helped me process. If you can’t tell I am not done processing. You all know I don’t agree with the sneaky and underhanded way they went about it. I never hid that. I am of the opinion, that if you are not doing anything wrong you wouldn’t have to hide it. That's the mom in me. So far, they are absolutely hiding the Eagle Gateway Project. Without getting too political, if you are an Eagle resident, you really should watch what your mayor, city council, and Eagle Urban Renewal Agency are doing to your town without your knowledge or approval. Remember these things the next time you vote. It is one thing to be charming, smile, and shake hands while saying you are a nice guy then turn around and pursue over-development using backdoor avenues such as urban renewal to accomplish your agenda without voter approval.

Your cute little Mayberry town will no longer exist. They are demolishing the shop, museum, and Wild West building. The cafe owners are partnering with the development so they will be back in a few years. We were not offered this option. They will carry through with putting in a 3-4 story (not sure which because I’ve heard both) multi-use building with shops on the bottom and apartments on the top. In my opinion, it doesn’t fit the cute historic downtown vibe that Eagle has. I always loved that you could bring your out-of-town visitors to the Farmers Market, have an ice cream at the little shop behind the old hotel and walk the shops all while traffic is light, and friendly happy people are plentiful. As far as I can see, that will be gone (minus the friendly people because that's just how we roll). I don't think you will be able to see beyond the tall buildings that a select few developers are championing. Parking will be virtually non-existent because both dirt lots will have tall and overly large buildings and you will compete with apartment residents for spaces. The entire feel of the town will be more The Village-esque without the ease of navigation and parking. That concept in and of itself isn’t bad but, the entire charm of Eagle was having the best of both worlds. You have a small historic downtown and a Metropolis across State St. There are plenty of bare spaces for these types of developments that do not involve the demolition of Eagle’s iconic and historic Barbershop and Museum. These buildings needed to be revitalized I will admit, but they were not beyond redemption. We have become the state that tears things down instead of loves them back into existence and vitality and that troubles me deeply.

I do not know at this time where I will be cutting hair from this point on. I have been looking but I am priced out of the area. I cannot in good conscience charge you guys $35 to $40 per haircut. I could go for quantity and cut 4 an hour but with speedy haircuts quality is lost and the chance to get to know the people who come into the shop is gone. I always wanted you guys to feel welcome and at home when you come in. My goal was to remember your name, remember your haircut, and remember the stories you told me (all while forgetting other pertinent info in my own life :-p ) I could go the rest of my life and never cut hair again but, I can’t go the rest of my life without these relationships. I was privileged and honored to be able to do that in Eagle for 4 years. Thank you for that!

The shop phone number will remain the same (208) 938-1992. I am porting it over to a cell phone and the message will let you guys know where everyone has gone, including me. I am going to take a few weeks to regroup. I get to go see my oldest daughter in North Carolina for a week and when I get back, I will start sorting through and figuring things out. Thank you for being so patient, kind, caring, and understanding. I cannot say enough good things about the people of Eagle. A bad day in that barbershop was better than a great day anywhere else.

Silvia, Makenna, and I will be at the shop Tuesday, 2/28, until around 1:30 finishing up some last-minute business, if you want to stop by and say goodbye or see if we can give you one last haircut you are more than welcome. I was honored and privileged to serve you.

Thank you for simply being yourselves,
Melanie

A letter to our customers:

Let's get the hard part out of the way. Tomorrow Feb. 25th will be our final day. We tried as best we could but could not secure a location for a new Eagle Barber Shop. We will continue to search and keep you all updated as the information becomes available. For now we will be a bit nomadic as we continue our search. If you have our cell phone numbers or the shop phone number those will all still be active to call or text to get a hold of us.

We knew this day was coming, it wasn't a secret. We tried to remain hopeful and glass-half-full but it grew tougher each passing day. We care very deeply about this little shop, about its history, its longevity, and for the countless stories told inside it. We admit we became a little bitter at the situation, we will openly state we don't feel the new development that will be sprouting in our place is a good idea. We feel the city is making a bad decision to put a 3-story development right in the heart of town. Not just for us being displaced, but for the people of Eagle that are watching their small town not just grow out, but up.

As we may be bitter and angry at the situation it is probably the best time to look back and think of you all, our clients, who have shown us nothing but love and support as we uproot ourselves and search for a greener pasture. This tiny shop has seen countless people jingle the bells on our front door. We've seen men that came in as children, and came back as adults. We've seen soldiers come home and want nothing more than to cut it back down to regs because they can't handle it long. Children that screamed and cried on their first cut, to then run in and climb in the chair with a smile. Men grow old only to have a family member come by to let us know they were gone for good.

I might be rambling, there's a good chance I am, but these are the stories that we will remember forever. We will be forever grateful for your patronage and your friendship. We hope that we will find a new home and to see you all again. Thank you all so much for trusting us with your first cut, your last cut, and the hundreds in between. Thank you for letting us be a small part of your family, as you are a large part of ours.

PS --
Thank you Melanie for teaching me how to cut hair, and thank you Cheryl for teaching me how to do it right.
--John

I know we don't post much, given that our last post was in 2020. But today is necessary.

If anyone didn't know, the Eagle Urban Renewal Group purchased our building last year to bundle with the rest of the lots on our street to sell to a developer. The proposed plan is a multi-story multi-use development that will cover our block from the corner, down to the old Eagle Hotel. We were given notice today that we have to be out of the building at the end of February. That means that Feb. 25th will be the FINAL day for this version of the Eagle Barber Shop.

While we are all saddened at the closure of this almost 100 year old business, we are taking February with stride. Please come visit us for one more haircut at this location. Or just stop by to say hi if we haven't seen ya for a bit and catch up. We do not know what the future holds but we will keep you updated as we look for a new home.

Thank you all for your patronage and support over the years and we hope to see you again soon. We are still taking appts through to the 25th of Feb. as well as taking as many walk-ins as we can. Give us a call or stop by, and have a great day!

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