There's a new barber shop in town, with a familiar face.
Frank Serrano, barber at Mal's on Main Street in North Andover for 15 years, has opened his own shop. Customers won't have to look very far, because he opened the shop a couple doors down, at 148 Main St.
Serrano runs the shop with Eric Sideri, and the new shop is a reunion of sorts.
Serrano and Sideri were barbers together more than 40 years ago at the Salisbury Beach Barber Shop.
"The Barber Shop was, at that time, a state-of-the-art barber shop with steam cabinets for hot shaves and massages, wood paneling, walls lined with pictures of entertainers, sports figures, etc.," Sideri wrote in announcing the new shop.
Because the Salisbury Beach Barber Shop was in the center of the beach action and the only barber shop around, the two had the privilege of trimming the hair of celebrities who performed at the beach -- including Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Frankie Avalon, among others.
More than four decades later, the two have reunited in North Andover. There may not be an ocean view, but there's a nice old fashioned town appeal that Serrano said inspired his shop's small town barber shop look.
"Business has been fantastic since I opened," Serrano said. "I've been getting a lot of my old customers from working down the street. They were very happy for me. In fact, I got a lot of gifts. They were ecstatic."
Frank's Barber Shop is open Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
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