![\"\"](\"http:\/\/miserybay.usanethosting.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/gallery\/13august\/130809date.jpg\" "\\"image\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There’s a barber pole in the window and a familiar face, Tina Hicks, inside the new Redwings Barber Shop in downtown St. Johns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stjindy.com\/archive1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/miserybay.usanethosting.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/gallery\/13august\/barber1.jpg\" "\\"image\\"")
There’s a barber pole in the window and a familiar face, Tina Hicks, inside the new Redwings Barber Shop in downtown St. Johns.<\/em>
\nBy Rhonda Dedyne
\nTina Hicks, who’s been cutting hair for more than a dozen years at Bill’s Barber Shop that was located in the third block of Clinton Avenue, opted to launch her own business after Bill’s was sold.
\n“This is a great location, and many of my long-time clients are finding me here – it’s going really well,” Hicks says about her storefront shop in the first block of Clinton Avenue’s west side. “There’s so much space inside here, and plenty of parking on the street.”
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/miserybay.usanethosting.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/gallery\/13august\/barber2.jpg\" "\\"image\\"")
\nOriginally from the Lansing area, Hicks first worked in Holland after graduating from Lansing Barber College in the early 1980s.
\n“There weren’t a lot of job opportunities around here at that time, but I always wanted to come back and it’s been great being in St. Johns for the past 15 years,” she says, giving special mention to Bill Braun, the namesake and owner of Bill’s Barber Shop. “Bill is wonderful and we had a lot of fun working together. Even after he retired, he would come in one day a week on Tuesdays and cut hair – he’s a great guy.”
\nLong-time area residents will remember Bill as one of the barbers at the old Steel Hotel. The downtown St. Johns landmark was destroyed by fire on Good Friday evening, March 28, 1975. For a number of years, Bill’s Barber Shop was located near what is now Sundance Chevrolet on North BR-127. The business moved back downtown in the late 1990s where it remained as a fixture in the third block until its sale in March 2012, and closure last month.
\nOne of Tina’s first guests after she opened Redwings Barber Shop in May was Bill – her mentor and friend.
\n“He stopped here and wished me well,” she says. “It was good to talk with him just like always.”
\nSimilar to her former home at Bill’s, Redwings Barber Shop is totally casual. There are lots of toys and a play area by the large, front window overlooking Clinton Avenue – good for occupying youngsters while dad gets a haircut, or placating little ones before or after their own hair-cut experience in the barber chair.
\n“This is a family-friendly place where people feel relaxed and comfortable,” Hicks says. “Walk in customers are welcome – no reservations, but you can call ahead or set a time to come in.”
\nRedwings Barber Shop is open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 to 7; Saturday, 8 to noon; closed on Tuesday and Sunday. Call (989) 640-5237 – or stop in and see Tina at 103 N. Clinton Ave., St. Johns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"