Observation Essay - The Barbershop -- Observation Essay, Descriptive Es

Observation Essay - The BarbershopImmediately I recognized that things were different, as I struggled to find a parking spot in the tiny lot hidden just off of the highway. The barbershop is located in an area too small to be considered a strip mall-and apparently too small to handle all of its customers vehicles. It is the third in a row of three shops, although the first, a former ice mosh/water ice business, was for rent. I knew that all of the drivers of the automobiles in the lot were in the barbershop, as the repair shop next to it does not open until 9 A.M. obviously all Saturday mornings here amaze with such a full parking lot. Once I found a parking spot, I was ready to begin my observation of the U.S. Male mens room Hair Care Center. I walked into U.S. Male tentatively, looking for a corner seat. Air coming through the open ingress chilled the shops interior, which was teeming with customers just fifteen minutes after the shop had opened. The stares from those already s eated in the shops green plastic chairs along the right wall, as rise as from those getting haircuts in the four leather chairs to my left, pierced me as I wandered over to one of the vacant seats. There were only two available, so I was stuck between a chair seating Outdoor magazine and another holding a man in his forties who was reading The tidings Journal and sipping a rapidly cooling cup of coffee. There were ten customers in all, and they all seemed ready for a wait as many came lively with equipment similar to that brought by the gentleman on my left. I was surprised by the lack of conversation amid the fairly large crowd, although I attributed this to it being too ahead of time in the morning to engage in any sort of meaningful conversation. Two... ...nted near the high left corner of the entrance to the shop. On the spinning gloomy band in white letters was written Hairstylist, rather than what I thought was the more appropriate title, Barber, since schools that train hairstylists are different from the schools that train barbers. I also noticed signs on the outside of the building, as well as on the billboard near the highway, which emphasized Fast-Service and Fast Walk-in Service. These signs also showed penetrating indications of the maleness of this shop. The L in the word Male on the billboard facing the highway had the barber pole drawn into it to stress that U.S. Male Mens Hair Care Center, as it is advertised in the phone book, was in fact a barbershop. I smirked when I noticed this, and I surmised that this was done to grow to men that this was not a salon. Salons are for women, of course.