The National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame — Attraction in Madison Township

The National Barber Museum is located in a school campus near the library building of Canal Winchester High School. I arrived there on a Saturday afternoon and Mike Ippoliti, the curator and director of the museum, was there to welcome me. He jokingly told me how lucky I was for being the only visitor that time, because I could have all his time as he'd talk about the museum and tour me around.

We started the tour at the room closest to the entrance.

Mike is a fun person to talk to and very knowledgeable on anything barbering. First, he told me about the founder Ed Jeffers and how Jeffers started the collection of now over 61 barber poles, more than 800 straight and safety razors, razor strops, clippers, bloodletting tools from the days of the barber-surgeon, shoeshine chairs, spittoons, and historical barber chairs. The museum also has a barber library of over 400 volumes.

Did I mention that more than 2,000 shaving mugs are being displayed on the walls? At first, I thought the mugs were for tea.

The tour lasted for about 45 minutes, with each room was full of wonderful treasures and telling different stories...

This new incarnation of the Barber Shop Museum and Hall of Fame is literally coming up from the ashes of the old museum, due to a fire in the building that housed it. It is a labor of love that is still in the process of being cleaned and restored from the smoke damage. Exhibits are being reconstructed, and put back together in a larger and better location, which is part of the local school. Though it is not complete yet, we happened to stop by during one of their work sessions. It was stated that they should be done by fall or the end of this year. From what I saw, it will be well worth it to come back, when it is in it's full glory. Just in the short time that we spent there, we learned quite a lot. WELL WORTH...

Stumbled upon the museum when in Canal Winchester for basketball, and we were very impressed! Mike was an awesome tour guide, and his passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge were second to none. Without having any background in barbering, I left with an appreciation of the profession and its history! The museum was full of artifacts, and there were details provided in each room.

You can get a guided tour, or there is a self guided tour option by watching a video. Highly recommend for those interested in history! The...