Vicki Croston recently moved from one barbershop to another. Croston cut hair in the McK building barbershop for 25 years. Actually, she got the job there, as the first female barber in town, before she was even out of beauty school.

"I got a letter while I was still in school in Charleston from Mr. [Clarence] Davis, who owned the building," said Croston. "He wanted me to come over to his house on a Sunday, that way I could meet him and his wife. So I went to his house. After I graduated and took my state boards, I went straight to work. They were still fixing up the shop after the '85 flood."

Croston is quick to point out that at her shop, you won't find any "customers."

"After twenty five years, there's no customer-barber relationship- you become friends," she said.

Longtime Cass barber and friend, Lefty Meeks, had approached Croston several years ago about bringing her on at his Cass shop, after after he was injured in an accident.

"He hurt his shoulder some years ago, and he begged me to come up here and take over the shop," said Croston. "I told him 'Lefty, I can't come there and take your shop, you'll be back.'"

According to Croston, Lefty cut hair in Cass for 62 years. She said Lefty was cutting hair in Cass before it was even a park.

When the McK Building changed owners recently, the rent was increased, and Croston wasn't ready to start charging her "friends" more for a haircut.

"Before Neal [Kellison] sold the building, it felt like family, we took care of each other," said Croston. "After he sold it, it became business. I'm not trying to be a champion for the people or anything like that, but I know the economy of the county. I have one friend that quit taking three different heart medications because they were so expensive, how can I ask him for more money?"

Croston made the decision to move to Lefty's shop earlier in the year and opened for business on May 8. Croston is all settled in, but her one regret was that she didn't get a chance to have pictures taken with Lefty, who passed away earlier this year. Croston has already devised a plan to honor her friend's memory.

"He didn't make it here, he passed away the first of April," Croston said. "I asked his daughter if I could leave Lefty's name on the building and she said 'by all means,' and I have two pictures that I had enlarged that I'm gonna put up on the wall."

Croston said her regulars are happy to make the trip to Cass to see her, and she's been staying busy. All in all, she said she's happy at her new location.

"I'm closer to home, I'm saving on gas," joked Croston. "And it's the peace of mind, the peace of mind means so much."

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