Shoptalk: Haddonfield Business

Frank's Barber Shop Closes After 31 Years

Frank Montemurro's untimely death in 2011 was a key factor.

Frank's Men's Hair Styling, one of the oldest barber shops in Haddonfield, which once boasted of an iconic Bruce Springsteen photo shoot in front of it, suddenly closed last week after 31 years of business. A sign on the front door last week thanked customers as it announced the shop was closing "permanently." The beginning of the end for Frank's was the untimely death of its owner Frank Montemurro, 56, in June of 2011. It was not reported then, but widely known and confirmed later by patrons and employees, that he died of suicide. His wife, whose name is not immediately available, took over the shop and many of the barbers there, who said they were like family, vowed to stay on. But a rift developed and five of the six barbers there left …

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lostinapothole

10:40 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013

You are 100% correct in saying that Frank's memory will live on forever. I will never forget him until the day I see him in heaven. Then I'll get in line for a haircut, if I have any hair left to cut. I don't know the circumstances of the closing or the details of why the other guys went out on their own. I heard they offered to buy the business but there was no deal. Whatever. the important …   more ›

Shoptalk: Haddonfield Business

MirAno's Brings Cutting Edge Style to Old-School Barbershop

A year after losing their mentor, two barbers strike out on their own to create a modern barbershop with a retro vibe.

Out of a tragic death that shocked the town, inspiration blossomed for a new barbershop seeking to reclaim some of the magic lost. When Frank Montemurro died suddenly last June, barbers and customers alike in his Kings Highway shop, Frank's Men's Hair Styling, were distraught. Montemurro, 56, was the heart and soul of the barbershop that for 30 years serviced everyone from toddlers getting their first haircuts to older guys coming to grips with balding pates. “Our mentor was gone. Our friend was gone. Our hearts were broken,” says barber Joe Graziano of West Deptford. There was no more joy in going to work every day as the banter among the barbers fell off, adds George Miraglia of Cherry Hill, who had worked for Montemurro 11 years.  Then …

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Bill Tourtellotte

10:46 am on Friday, August 10, 2012

It's a great group of folks and a very comfortable place to be.   more ›

'You Gotta Move on Sometime, You Gotta Keep Going'

Family and staff vow to keep Frank's Men's Hair Styling shop going after owner's death.

The smiles came easy but the words did not Thursday morning when Frank’s Men’s Hair Styling shop reopened five days after the untimely death of its owner. A flurry of hair snipping, blow drying, combing and clipping was ongoing as well-wishers streamed in and out delivering coffee, pastries, sandwiches and cookies. “Anybody hungry?” asked Joe Graziano to a crowd of about a half-dozen customers seated along a wall waiting to get a haircut shortly after 10 a.m. “All this food is gonna go bad if you don’t eat it.” Graziano manned the last of a row of six barber’s chairs in the shop. He said the last few days have been hard but he and the three women and two men who work here relied on each other to get through. “Frank was like a father to me…

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Frank's to Reopen on Thursday, a Sign Says

Mourners at Frank's Men's Hair Styling gather on Monday amid news the shop will reopen.

An impromptu memorial broke out Monday morning in front of Frank’s Men's Hair Styling shop. News traveled fast over the weekend about the untimely death of Frank Montemurro, 56, a barber who had spent his last 30 year grooming men and boys in Haddonfield. Flowers, candles and leis were placed near the doorstep of the shop on Kings Highway East. Several mourners openly wept. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday in the Williamstown section of Monroe.  There was a new sign on the door Monday morning, replacing one on Sunday that announced the shop would be closed until further notice.  The new note said “In Loving Memory of Frank Montemurro, the shop will reopen on Thursday, June 16.” It was a welcome site for Steve Ward, a 55-year-old …

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