Mosaic

Issue date: 2/16/06 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Adam McCormack Barber Ken Louro cuts a customers hair at Baccari's Barber shop on Bellevue Ave.

Newport is a city full of culture and is deeply routed in American history. Many tourists visit Newport to see mansions such as the Breakers, the Elms, or the Marble House. Others come during the summer to enjoy the beaches, the sailing, and the gorgeous Cliff Walk. There are some businesses and people in Newport that do not always make it to the cover of tourist magazines, however, but are still part of every day life.

Baccari's Barber shop, located near the corner of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial Drive, is one of those businesses. Since the 1970s, Ken Louro has been cutting hair. In those 26 years, his career has changed quite a bit. Louro began as an assistant and worked at that for four and a half years before starting his own shop. For the past six years, he has occupied a small shop on Bellevue, one of the busiest streets in the city. Unlike many of the mansions and other historical landmarks, Baccari's stays open all year.

Louro was born and raised in Massachusetts. He lives with his wife. They have
12 children: two girls and 10 boys. They range in age from 23 to 43.

How old are you?
(Sigh) 60.

Tell me about your family. Do you have any kids?
12.

What?
I don't mess around.

Is it east to enter the business you are in?
Yeah, it's not that bad.

Did you always want to own your own business, or did you intend to have partners?
In this shop here I was a fellow's partner for four and a half years. After that I just took over.

How hard is it to maintain it?
No, you just have to be good. If you're not good at what you do, you won't have any customers. That's the name of the game. People have to like you.

Do you intend to stay in the business for a while?
Yeah, probably.

How much do you charge for a haircut?
Well, it all depends on the customer. They range from children's cuts (which are) $6 to adults which range from $7 to $10.

Do you get a lot of Salve students?
Yeah, but I guess you get kids on campus cutting hair, trying to make a few extra bucks.

Newport is a very popular area. What do you think about Newport in general?
Yeah, it's interesting. There's always something to do. I feel there's more good people in the city of Newport than any of the surrounding communities.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools