Hair apparent? That may take an appointment

While children are being groomed to take over Jack McMillen’s styling shop, he’s not ready to cut out just yet.

The year was 1962. Jack McMillen was 19 and had his whole life in front of him.

He just didn’t know what to do with it.

Fresh out of Hopewell High School. Newly wed to his wife, Joyce. Higher education not an option.

“There was no way I was going to college,” he remembers. “We just didn’t have the means.”

So he took a job at a local gas station and continued to search for a more sustainable career path. A friend of his, Gordon Stevens, asked if McMillen had ever considered barber school.

He did, and he’s never considered anything else since.

More than 53 years after receiving his license, McMillen continues to be on the cutting edge of his profession despite having to sharpen his skills early on in “the shack,” as he calls it. That was his first shop, which was in Aliquippa’s original post office on Sheffield Avenue, near Breezy’s Pizza.

A decade later, McMillen joined longtime friend Jim Farris at his salon. The shop had eight employees, and was among the first in the region to start a new trend for the 1970s — styling men’s hair. (Think David Cassidy’s shag and the Brady men perms.)

Still sharp and personable at 73, McMillen remembers the salon’s opening day well. It was May 23, 1972. And it was Farris’ birthday.

“I was already married at the time. Jimmy was single. I had to keep the shop running since Jimmy was out all night,” McMillen said, chuckling.

Farris laughed even louder when told that story.

“Listen,” he countered. “Jack didn’t even have underwear when I hired him. The first nickel he ever got — I put in his pocket. Now he’s he’s got more money than …”

Farris’ voice trails off, overrun by laughter.

Though they remain close friends to this day, McMillen and Farris parted ways just two years later and McMillen took over as sole owner.

“It was nothing personal at all. We just had a different vision for how we wanted to grow the business,” he reflected. “My customers were more of the everyday people in the community, where Jimmy liked to bring in clients who were — I guess you would call them ‘Big Shots’ — pro athletes, doctors, big businessmen, and that type of thing.”

Farris agrees, sort of.

“I don’t know if they were ‘Big Shots,’ but Jack’s right. I cut a lot of pro athletes — Mike Ditka, Brad and Mickey Davis, Jim Rooker, ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich.”

Farris would move on to shops in Moon and Chippewa townships. He now styles men’s and women’s hair at Ken Staat’s Family Hair Styling in Center Township.

McMillen, on the other hand, would move no farther than a few blocks to the current location of Jack McMillen Hairstyling at 2380 Mill St. in Aliquippa.

McMillen thought for a moment and smiled.

“I guess we both did OK for ourselves.”

HUSTLING AND HUNGRY

They knew what passersby must have been thinking.

They did it anyway.

After all, if you’re going to thrive in business, you’ve got to take some risks. And when you’re working on a tight budget, you’ve got to find some creative ways to market your services.

Like, giving free hair cuts at the Hookstown Fair in the early 1970s.

McMillen still laughs when thinking about it.

“Jimmy and I would look for guys walking around,” he remembers. “Guys who really looked like they could use a hair cut and a shave. It was a great way to get noticed. People were amazed to see how we would make them look.”

McMillen also recalls visiting local women’s clubs, schools and hospitals — essentially hustling to share their story with anyone who would listen.

Starting a business is tough for anyone. It’s even more difficult while you’re moonlighting at a gas station and raising a young family.

“Jack was a hard worker. And he’s right, we did pretty much anything we could do to drum up business,” Farris recalls.

“But Jack was always a great family man. He’s a wonderful guy and has a great family.”

Good thing. The McMillens sure do spend a lot of time together.

FAMILY FIRST

Jack McMillen Hairstyling moved into its current location in 2004. It had been the home of his youngest son, Shawn.

When Shawn decided to move next door, McMillen hired a buddy of his to gut the house and turn it into an elegant salon. The structure features hardwood floors, high ceilings and plenty of windows, creating the look and feel of being much larger than it is. 

McMillen refers to his shop as “full service,” offering cuts and styling for men and women, perms and color treatments, hair replacements for men, and partial hair replacements for women. The business has five styling chairs — each housed in private rooms.

“I want our customers to know they have their privacy, especially when it comes to hair color and hair pieces,” McMillen notes.

Every member of the McMillen family works at the salon.

•Joyce joined her husband in 1974. She has been in charge of payroll since that time.

•Eldest son Kurt, 50, began cutting hair in 1984.

•Sherry McMillen Domitrovich, 46, started at the shop in 2006.

•And Shawn started in 1986. He is …

“Hey, how old are you, Shawn?” Jack McMillen shouts into the lobby.

Shawn pops his head into the room.

“If this is going in the paper, I’m 32 and single,” he announces with a wink.

It’s later learned that Shawn is actually 48.

McMillen said working with his entire family gives him a sense of security that most business owners don’t have.

“I never have to worry about the cash register. And when I go on vacation, I know things will continue to run smoothly.”

Most of the time, anyway.

“A few years ago, when I turned 70, my kids started thinking they could tell me what to do. Now that I'm getting a little older, they say, ‘you look hungry.’ ‘You need a nap.’ ”

He waves his hands and laughs.

“I don’t always listen to them.”

SECRET OF SUCCESS

But McMillen always listens to his customers, who range in age from 3 to 73.

Though more than half of his base is within 10 minutes of the shop, he has longtime clients who still travel from Pittsburgh and Steubenville, Ohio.

He proudly shares old photos of first hair cuts, and he’s now cutting the third generation of some families.

His secret to long-term success?

“I’m a people person,” he offers. “I love to cut hair, and I want to make you look good. But I think it’s just as important to make my customers feel welcome and special.”

And his children are now passing down that trait to their kids. McMillen believes that his grandson, Eddie Domitrovich IV, a 2015 graduate of Westminster College, was hired by Merrill Lynch primarily because of the way he handles himself — something he learned years ago at the shop.

McMillen began allowing Eddie to greet customers and take them to their styling chairs when he was just 6. That experience taught him to look clients in the eye, deliver a firm handshake and ask how he can be of assistance — which are staples at McMillen’s.

So, how long will Jack continue to lead the family business?

“Aw, I don’t know,” he responds. “This isn’t the easiest business, but it’s a good business. I still enjoy interacting with customers.”

McMillen says he learned a long time ago that operating a styling salon isn’t just about hair — it’s about people.

“If you treat them right, they’ll keep coming back,” he says, smiling.

“And they keep me feeling young.”

(This story appeared in the Beaver County Times on February 2, 2016.)