WALKER, MI – Robert Stevens never forgets a face – or a head of hair. At 82 years old, he may not always remember the name of every client who has sat in his chair. There have been too many to count. When they walk through his door, however, he remembers their specifics – how they like their hair cut, what they like to talk about, whether he’s cut the hair of their father or their father’s father. Corporate hair salons are impersonal, he says. Customers walk through the door and are asked, “What kind of cut do you want, a No. 1 or a No. 2?” Here, customers will find a more personalized experience sitting in Stevens’ classic leather barber chair -- the same one that’s been with him since he started his career six decades ago. "I always do a clipper-over-comb," he said. Stevens, who has been cutting hair for 63 years, is known as "Bob the Barber" here in West Michigan. He’s been running his small, one-man barber shop on Remembrance Road in Walker for 56 years, cutting the hair of four generations of men in some families. For him, it’s all about the connections he’s built within his community over the years. "I just love the personal relationship that you can get with guys," he said. "I hear some things I don’t want to hear. We do a little counseling at times."

‘A dying breed’ Stevens went to barber school right out of high school in 1962, when he was 19 years old. Back then, a haircut was $1. Today, Stevens’ haircuts cost $18 ($17 for seniors), or $20 with a credit card. An Allendale native, Stevens was the only one in his family to become a barber. He had to go to Detroit to complete his apprenticeship but eventually returned to West Michigan in 1968 and opened up the Walker Barber Stylist shop at 3969 Remembrance Road NW. In over six decades of barbering, he’s seen all the hair trends. The toughest years were the ‘70s, he recalled. “Everybody quit getting haircuts when The Beatles came through,” he said. “A lot of barbers went out of business in the ‘70s. A lot of three-chair shops turned into one-chair shops. They died like flies.” 'Fortunately, I was just getting rolling here, and I was going hungry anyways, so it didn’t matter. But it was a tough start, believe me. I had to build the business.”

Today, he tries to keep up with the trends by noting haircuts of young men he sees at the mall or at church. Fewer men are becoming barbers than when Stevens first started in the business 63 years ago. Today, most people who go into the hair industry are women, and they often work for chain companies that are all about one-time customers rather than building relationships, he said. “Barber shops, we’re a dying breed,” he said. A classic barber shop Inside Stevens’ shop, the walls are lined with hundreds of antique shears, razors, shaving mugs and brushes dating back to the late 1800s – a mini museum of the evolution of barbering. Every nook and cranny is filled with historic trinkets, like the line of antique leather straight razor sharpening straps hung outside a closet door. At the center of his shop is that classic barber chair. Right by his work station are photos of his family. He has three kids with his wife and 11 great-grandchildren.

Barber Robert Stevens, 82, who has been cutting hair at the same location for 56 years, serves customers at Walker Barber Stylist in Walker, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. His career began 63 years ago in Detroit. Isaac Ritchey | [email protected] Stevens only does men’s cuts, and his shop is walk-in only. The 82-year-old is on his feet 10 hours a day, four days a week, plus five hours on Saturdays. The best part about his job is the people, he said. His clients come from all over West Michigan to sit in his seat. On a typical weekday morning, there’s a steady stream of clients waiting to get their haircut at the small, one-chair barber shop. The clients come from all walks of life – former firefighters, policemen, salesmen – and they span all ages. “My oldest customer is 100 years old, and I cut one the other day, 9 months old,” he said. They don’t mind waiting their turn to get their hair cut. They know they’re waiting for a quality cut by a man who cares. “My wife always tells me, good thing your customers have got more patience than you do,” Stevens said. “These guys will sit here and wait. “I’ve got unbelievable clientele.”

'This is just one of those home places’ Lee Hoppough, 80, of Walker, has been coming to Stevens for haircuts for nearly two decades. He said it’s his relationship with Stevens that keeps him coming back. Walking into a barbershop with 15 chairs feels too impersonal, he said. “This is just one of those home places,” he said. Jason Bachert, 48, said coming to the barbershop is like a form of therapy for men. “In this day and age with social media and phones, it’s tough to get this kind of experience where everyone that walks through that door, you’re building relationships with,” Bachert said. Stevens has followed his clients wherever they go, making visits to retirement homes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals to cut their hair. “I figure, I owe it to them,” he said. The sad part of how long Stevens has been in the business is outliving some of his clients, he said. He checks the obituaries every day to see if any of his customers are there – one weekend, he recalled, there were four guys in there. He makes an effort to go to their funerals when he can. “I don’t make them all, but I try to,” he said. “Because if I go there, the only guy that knows me is the dead guy in the casket. The family, they never see me. So I just go, sign the book, and leave.”

Of course, after 63 years in the business, Stevens is often asked when he will be done. He says he’ll keep working until he can’t anymore. “My form of retirement is when I’m gone.” MLive readers: We want to tell the stories of our neighbors – the unsung heroes in our communities that make West Michigan thrive. Tell us about a local mom-and-pop shop in the Grand Rapids area that you love and what makes it interesting by emailing your ideas to [email protected]