By Shelley Widhalm

The Surveyor

Shelly Otanez of Berthoud carried her love of barbering into an old-fashioned appeal with her new shop.

Otanez opened Berthoud Old Time Barbershop at 428 Mountain Ave., next to the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce, on June 2 during Berthoud Day, using the traditional red, white and blue of old-fashioned barbershops.

Photo by Shelley Widhalm: Shelly Otanez and her husband, David Trujillo, pose June 21 outside her new barbershop, Berthoud Old Time Barbershop, 428 Mountain Ave.

“I think that’s what fits this town and what I envisioned for this building,” said Otanez, owner-operator and barber. “That old-town, small-town feel, it fits the town.”

The window sign for Berthoud Barbershop has an image of a barber pole. Plus, Otanez plans to purchase a pole and place it out front, along with a wooden bench to provide a gathering place for clients. She also wants to paint the awning the same traditional colors as the pole.

Inside the décor also is old-fashioned, set off by a laminate wood floor, a refurbished dresser made into a countertop with old ceiling tiles, and an old travel trunk used to display magazines and brochures.

Otanez provides men’s and boys’ haircuts and face shaves, line-ups, and beard trims for men. She also provides haircuts for women and girls but does not do any color services or styling.

“Everybody is welcome here,” said David Trujillo, co-owner of the shop and Otanez’s husband, who helps with marketing and maintenance. “That’s what we’re shooting for, the old-school barbershop. When you have a spare minute, you can sit back.”

Sgt. Jim Anderson, Berthoud police chief, thinks of barbershops as places of camaraderie, he said.

“This is where men come to get together,” Anderson said. “It’s to gossip. It’s just the camaraderie, it really is. … Every barbershop you go to, if it’s a true barbershop, they are friendly.”

Berthoud Barbershop has room for up to four chairs, two of which currently are operational. Otanez operates one, and Mike Samuel, a barber from Loveland with 12 years’ experience, operates the other one.

“I come from a smaller town. I like the smaller town feel,” Samuel said. “The owners seemed very nice. They seemed like they would treat me very fair. And the customers so far seem good.”

Otanez earned her certification in cosmetology from the former Longs Peak Academy in Longmont and later earned her barbers license when she decided to focus on men’s hair. She likes the attention to detail it requires, the different styles she can work with and the fact men generally like to get their hair cut more often than women. She cut women’s hair for about seven of the 15 years she has worked as a cosmetologist and barber. She first worked for a Northern Colorado franchise for nine years and independently as an owner-operator for six years before deciding to open her business in Berthoud, where she moved from Longmont a year ago.

“I decided to open a shop and bring a barbershop to this town, that has multiple chairs and available hours,” Otanez said.

Berthoud Old Time Barbershop is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are required for shaves.