The Barber, Jon Snook, is No Longer In at Saline's Barber's Inn

One of Saline’s favorite barbers has called it quits.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March, Jon Snook, owner of The Barber’s Inn, quietly closed the doors of his barbershop, located at 100 S. Harris St., after more than 40 years of business.

Snook opened his own barbershop in 1979 after more than 13 years of working for barber Harold Gage - giving him more than 50 years of barbering in Saline.

Snook has been cutting hair, shaving necks and trimming moustaches in Saline since 1965.

“It was just time. I’d been planning on retiring this year anyway. But when COVID hit, with my wife having some health issues, I didn’t want to take a chance. So I decided to close,” Snook said.

People didn’t notice the closure right away. After all, everything was closed in March and April. But when the barbershops reopened, the Barber’s Inn remained closed. Instead, Snook donned a plastic mask and joined his longtime friend Marty Flint at The Excalibur and the two spent the day cutting the hair of customers who’d gone an awfully long time without a trim during the quarantine.

Snook, who lives up the street with his wife Michelle in the home where they raised their family, is originally from Marshall, Michigan. He joined the Navy and while serving on a submarine decided to try cutting hair.

“You fill out this slip and tell them you’ve got experience as a barber, and then you start cutting hair,” Snook remembered. “That’s where I learned to cut hair and decided I could do it.”

When he completed his duties in the Navy he returned to Michigan and went to barber’s college.

Right after graduating, Saline barber Harold Gage called the college looking for help. They sent him Jon Snook. It was 1966 and Snook had no idea he’d just landed in the town he’d call home for more than 50 years.

Snook spent 13 years working for Gage’s barber shop on Michigan Avenue.

In the late 1970s, Snook took some time away from the profession. First, he worked for a friend’s contracting business. Then he applied at Ford Motor Company in Saline, where Faurecia is now.

“There were 5,000 people who wanted that job, but I knew some guys and they helped get me in,” Snook said.

But he quickly soured on the work.

“The money was good, but the work wasn’t the greatest,” Snook said.

He realized he missed the barber shop.

“I like the work and I like talking to people, so this job was great for me,” Snook said.

By this point, Snook had purchased the duplex on Harris Street with an eye toward converting the front porch area into a barber shop.

He credits his wife for designing the interior of the barbershop.

“The counter, the sinks, the mirrors, the entrance. She designed it all,” Snook said.

And Snook did a lot of the construction himself, walking to city hall to get the permits.

One day, he was working on the shingles when The Saline Reporter’s publisher Paul Tull walked over and snapped a picture of him on the roof. The next week, the photo appeared in the paper with the caption “Take a little off the top, OK?”

He finally opened in 1978.

Through the years he’s cut the hair of police officers, mayors, council members, other barbers and a lot of farmers. In fact, he's grateful to have worked in a town with so many farmers, especially in the 1970s, when long hair was all the rage.

“Saline was a good town to be a barber. We had a lot of farmers and they didn’t go for the long hair so much,” Snook said.

Still, you had to change with the times. So Snook adapted and was responsible for many of the mullets which grace Saline High School yearbooks.

The barbers of his generation had a good relationship, even if they were competitors in business. After Snook left Harold’s to start his own barbershop, Gage visited the Barber’s Inn and had Snook cut his hair. And Snook was happy to help Flint, his old barber college buddy, when The Excalibur reopened this spring.

“We had a lot of fun. And it was good to see so many people we hadn’t seen in a long time,” Snook said.

Snook said he’s grateful for his many loyal customers. Some, like former police chief Paul Bunten, continued visiting Barber’s Inn even after they moved away from town.

“He tried the barbers near his home, but couldn’t find one he liked,” Snook said.

Barbers and their customers can have lifelong relationships.

When a guy comes in he sits down in the chair, mumbles a few vague instructions, and Snook goes to work.

“Men really don’t know how to tell you what they want in a haircut. You know your customer, and you know their hairline and what they like,” Snook said. “Then you give them what they want and make them look good.”

One of those longtime customers is Dean Girbach.

“Jon first cut my hair when I was small. I had wavy hair with lots of curls, and he was the only one I trusted to not screw or up,” Girbach said.

It’s been a long time since Girbach has had wavy hair to worry about. But he still valued going into see Snook.

“Now that my locks are a distant memory, I went primarily just for keeping up to date with the real news in town and memories - hearing old tales about my uncles and the old characters of Saline,” Girbach said.

Joy Holley recalled how when her husband was sick, Snook went to Evangelical Home to cut his care and refused to take a fee.

“He truly cared for his regulars,” Holley said.

Snook isn’t sure what the future holds for The Barber’s Inn. He said his son, Mike, a Saline police officer nearing retirement age, has the talent to take over as owner. In the meantime, he’s hoping to rent it to an enterprising barber. (Anyone interested should call 734-717-1070.)

More News from Saline

• 140 middle school students to compete in coding hackathon event at WCC Friday An initiative designed to promote careers in the semiconductor space will come full circle Friday as more than 140 middle school students visit WCC for a coding hackathon.
• FOOD GATHERERS: Food Insecurity Rising in Washtenaw County Food insecurity in Washtenaw County has risen from 12.5-14 percent.