SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – It doesn’t take long after meeting Valari Freeborne, owner/operator of Headquarters For Men, at her barber shop tucked into the corner of the Springfield Plaza, before recognizing how the unusual and eclectic environment Valari has curated over 35 years in business reflects her jocular, creative, and infectious spirit.
With much of the space occupied by her wildly original art collection of pieces mostly given to her by clients, and her storefront window full of mannequins, Valari has designed the place as part barber shop, part wacky art museum, and part community center.
Proceeds from the sales of her collection benefit the Springfield Humane Society. Among items like “Velvis,” a velvet painting of Elvis Presley, and “Rocky Roadkill,” a taxidermied squirrel with a bendable tail, Valari seems perfectly in her element. And she will make you feel at home as well.
“I call this the best kept secret in Springfield,” Valari remarked.
However, the shop is no secret to Valari’s regular customers, some of whom have been coming to her since they were kids, and now bring their kids to “Val” for haircuts.
The longstanding tradition of the local barber shop offers an affordable service in a safe space to share opinions, laughs, reunite with old friends and neighbors, and leave feeling more connected. This essence of community is why Valari employs a policy of walk-ins only.
Valari can finish most haircuts in 15 minutes, so, except for a busy Saturday, customers won’t find themselves waiting too long. But the wait is an important part of the barber shop experience, relays Valari. Conversations about family, the price of groceries, the neighborhood, school budgets; no subject is off limits between her clients as they wait for their haircut, and Valari wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a young mom, Valari needed to find a secure trade to support her family, and since she enjoyed working with her hands, she enrolled in cosmetology school. Her goal was to be a barber, not a stylist, and, after working at various salons, Valari stumbled, quite literally, into Headquarters For Men, when it was located at the corner of Valley and Main in downtown Springfield.
Coming back from the park with her son, Valari noticed the barber shop had a “help wanted” sign in the window. Boldly poking her head in the door, hoping to distract the owner from a big, muddy footprint her son had imparted on her sweatshirt, she announced she was licensed in the state of Vermont, and looking for work. She was offered the job.
For 21 years, Valari worked at Valley and Main, eventually purchasing the business before relocating to the perfect little corner of the Springfield Plaza in 2009.
Walk in sometime. You will be happy you did.
Submitted for Headquarters for Men.