North Carolina Barbershop

Traditional Barbershop - Photography

The American Barbershop - Wall Art

These photographs of the Granville Barbershop in Granville, North Carolina were made during a drive home to upstate NY for Christmas. The owner was very skeptical of my intentions at first but agreed to let me photograph his shop. During my time there I had some fun interactions with customers, but he never said much. As far as history goes, the shop opened in the 1940’s, and prior to that it was an African American movie theater!! How’s that for Southern?

As with most old shops, the relationship between proprietor and those in his chair was easy, fluid, and quite candid. At one point an older gentleman sauntered in with his head down, dropped a gift on an empty chair, turned back toward the door and said “well, gotta go”. That was it. No interaction. Never even lifted his head up to make eye contact. The barber didn’t seem surprised, nor did he skip a beat on the haircut in progress.

Took about a half hour until I was pleased with the pictures made. Afterward I gave the barber a card and thanked him for the hospitality. He stopped cutting, grabbed a few coins off the back bar, placed them in my hand and in an almost too good to be true accent said “take these two qwwwaaaaaaaatehs back to that machine and get you a pop. I’ll bet you haven’t had a 50 cent pop in yeeeeaaaaaaahs.” Sure enough, there were ice cold sodas coming out of a vintage Coca Cola machine against the back wall. Can’t tell you the last time I even had the desire for a soda, but I wasn’t about to turn that one down.

Interactions like these are what keep Barbershops of America going. Talking to people that give you a very definitive sense of place is gratifying, educational, and fun. Hearing about the shops history in such a dialect not only tells you where you are in the world, but also where you aren’t. I love that.

Click here to check out my photography book Barbershops of America

Contact me directly about barbershop photography prints for your home, office, or commercial space -rob@robhammerphotography.com

Traditional barbershop in a small North Carolina town

Traditional Barbershop Photography

Granville Barbershop - North Carolina

The Granville Barbershop in Granville, North Carolina

Traditional barbershop in Granville, NC

Exterior photograph of a traditional barbershop in North Carolina

Old school barbershop in small American town

Photograph of a barber cutting a customers hair in a traditional barbershop

Photograph of a customer waiting for a haircut at an old barbershop

Barbershop Culture Photography

Smitty's Market

Best BBQ in Lockhart, TX

Smitty’s Market

I love BBQ. Everything about it. The smell. The taste. The smoke. The buildings. The pits. The process. Even the meat sweats. There really isn’t anything about BBQ I don’t like. Even take a lot of enjoyment out of the different sides that each place serves. Since I started road tripping X amount of years ago, there really hasn’t been a single one that didn’t involve BBQ in some way. That usually means eating it, but I’ve also began documenting it whenever possible, which obviously leads to eating afterward. Win win. Smitty’s down in Texas is as beautiful a BBQ joint as you’ll find anywhere. When you work up a mental picture of old school Texas BBQ in your head, Smitty’s is probably it, or damn close. Their pit room is the kind of thing I see in my dreams. Mouth watering smells, heavy smoke, and dark bricks that have been crusted over from cooking with fire for years and years. Smitty’s is the real deal. Love how the chopping block which was once a flat top is now worn in from endless hours of cutting and serving meats. I could hang out here forever……if there weren’t so many other good BBQ joints to explore.

FYI: If you visit Smitty’s get the sausage.

Contact me if you’d like a print for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com