After more than 64 years in business, Larry's Barber Shop will close its doors.
Larry Horstdaniel, owner of the shop at 224 Madison St. in Jefferson City, opened it in 1954 and has operated it since. Horstdaniel said he plans to close the business but did not indicate when.
All that remains really, Horstdaniel said, is to figure out what to do with the vintage barber equipment in the shop.
At age 90, Horstdaniel said he's simply getting too old to run the shop.
"I can't get around anymore," Horstdaniel said. "My legs are giving out on me; so I have to quit."
Over the decades, Horstdaniel has trimmed and clipped the hair on thousands of heads. His narrow barber shop sits tucked into a stall between Stokes Electric and Stifel Nicolaus & Company's office in downtown Jefferson City.
In 2014, then-Gov. Jay Nixon strolled in for a cut and became the latest of several Missouri governors to pay Horstdaniel a visit. Horstdaniel said at the time that he didn't feel too starstruck and just wanted to have a nice conversation with Nixon like any other customer.
Nixon quickly turned the topic to Horstdaniel's time serving in the Korean War. Horstdaniel told Nixon about his closest brush with death when Chinese soldiers gathered on rocks above a valley where Horstdaniel was walking. As Nixon left, he presented Horstdaniel with a medal recognizing him for his service 60 years after the conflict ended.
Over the years, others in the community have noticed what Horstdaniel's shop did for downtown Jefferson City. In 2011, when a barber pole outside the shop stopped working, long-time customers arranged to have the pole replaced for Horstdaniel.
That type of support from customers and downtown helped Horstdaniel stay in business throughout the decades.
"I'm right in the heart of the business district," he said.
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