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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 striped 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 be correct.
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 in the 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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