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TROPICAL BREEZE PHOTO BY SUE SUBY
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| Brian Feist is the owner of Brian’s Barber Shop at 325 Main Street,
Safety Harbor, and also is an aspiring painter, specializing in
watercolors. The walls of his shop are filled with examples of his work
and he frequently places his works on an easel in front of the shop.
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BY FLOYD EGNER
Publisher, Tropical Breeze
Brian Feist is the owner of one of Safety Harbor’s downtown institutions, the barber shop next to the post office. From the triped pole to the hum of the clippers, it is a classic barber shop that boasts the slogan, “I need your head, to get ahead.”The decor, however, may lead customers to believe they have stumbled into a small art gallery where the viewing is from barber chairs. That also would becorrect.
Feist, a barber for more than 20 years, moved to Safety Harbor from Wheeling, WV with his wife of 28 years, Debbie, and eight-year-old daughter to be closer to his oldest daughter and son-in-law and their infant, his first grandchild. “I do the barbering for a living, but my painting is my passion,” Feist said. Nearly every open bit of wall space in the barber shop is occupied by his paintings. Most are watercolors, but he also displays experiments with oils and acrylics, revealing an evolution of his style that has brought him back to his favorites, which usually are watercolors of country scenes and seascapes. “We moved down here to be closer to our oldest daughter and new grandson, also for the weather and just to try something new — and because of the local art scene,” he said. “When we first laid eyes on Safety Harbor, we knew we had to live here. We tell our relatives and friends up north that its like Mayberry on the Bay!”
Feist has been painting watercolors for six years. He not only displays them int he shop, but also places them on the sidewalk outside the shop for downtown’s monthly 3rd Friday promotion. He usually can be found at an easel, working on a new painting during 3rd Friday. “If anybody enjoys art, looking and talking about it, they’re more than welcome to come into my gallery shop anytime.The welcome mat is always out and the coffee is on,” he said. Feist had his own shop in West Virginia for more than 11 years and his son, Jonathan, has moved to the area and is enrolled in barber school locally. He expects to join his father in about a year. “I like to think getting a haircut in my shop is like visiting an old friend and you just happen to get a haircut to boot,” Feist said. He specializes in old fashioned taper and scissor cuts at prices that also might be thought old-fashioned. Senior and military discounts are offered and Feist noted that he offers neck shaves and flattops, as well.
Brian’s Barber Shop is located at 325 Main St., Safety Harbor. It is open 8:30-5 p.m. Mon., Tues., Thurs. and Fri.; 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat. Call 727-726-7663.
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