A Cut Above

Robertson’s Hair Center nears 120 years

By Al Parker | Nov. 5, 2022

It’s 10:30am on a rain-soaked Wednesday, and there’s a steady flow of clients at Robertson’s Hair Center in downtown Traverse City’s historic Masonic Building.

Owner Roger Argue glides nimbly around the chair as he trims the hair of long-time customer Allen McSweeney, who’s made the monthly drive down from Petoskey to visit Robertson’s.

“I’ve been coming here for 40 years,” says McSweeney with a chuckle. “I’m loyal.”

He had a career as director of social work at Munson Medical Center before retiring and moving to Petoskey. “Seriously, all the people who work here are friendly,” he says of why he keeps coming back. “It’s a jovial place where there’s always a good story or a joke, along with great haircuts.”

Robertson’s has operated in the same location since 1903, with its 120th birthday just months away. It’s also one of those rare shops that has been owned by one proprietor, Argue, for more than 50 years.

“I’ve been here for 54 years and Joe [Schleicher] has been here for 53 years,” says Argue. “You don’t see a lot of guys who work together for 53, 54 years. We’ve [seen] some families for five generations, over the years.”

Where Everybody Knows Your Name
Robertson’s is a comfortable place where everybody seems to know each other. Argue and Schleicher greet every regular by first name and ask about the family and how things are going. It’s like Cheers, but with barbering instead of brews.

The four-chair shop measures only 16 by 20 feet, one of the smallest of its type in the state of Michigan. But the cozy confines are part of the charm of Robertson’s, which got its start when Red Robertson cut hair for lumbermen, railroaders, sailors, and others who built Traverse City.

Over all these decades, it’s remained an old-school barber shop, never pretending to be a flashy, modern salon. Frankfort native Argue and a partner bought Robertson's in 1969, when a man’s haircut ran about $2.50.

“Styles have changed over the years,” recalls Argue. “But we’ve stayed busy, even through the hippie days and the mullets. I think a lot of it has to do with the location. It used to be that 90 percent of our clients were regulars, but we get quite a few walk-ins now.”

The shop has endured over the years, bouncing back after challenges, including a 1987 fire that severely damaged much of the Masonic Building. “The fire shut us down for about three months,” says Argue. “But we went right back to work.”

Robertson’s was the first shop in town to have a female barber in the early 1980s when Sandy Raymond joined the staff, according to Argue. Bea Roxburgh continues that legacy today.

“One of the biggest draws is that our place is like the places guys went when they were younger,” says Roxburgh, who’s cut hair for 17 years, the last two at Robertson’s. “They like the old style. Lots of new shops are nice too, but some people like the old style.”

Years ago, McSweeney routinely brought his two boys to Robertson’s. Matthew, now 43, and Michael, 41, both made regular trips to the shop, where Argue was their favorite barber.

“The kids liked coming because Roger always gave out baseball cards and candy,” recalls McSweeney. “The boys are [living] out of town now, but when Michael comes back to Traverse City, he still stops by Robertson’s, not for a haircut, but just to say hi and see the guys.”

Let Your Hair Down
It’s that kind of comfortable place, plus a dollop of humor. For example, the shop became an election headquarters for comedian Pat Paulsen’s presidential campaigns.

In 1971, Paulsen performed at the Cherry County Playhouse (CCP) and enjoyed it so much that he and writer/producer Neil Rose bought the operation in 1976. During the ’70s and ’80s, Paulsen ran several tongue-in-cheek, fun-poking political campaigns for president. One campaign slogan was, “Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America’s destiny.” Another was “We’ve upped our standards, now up yours.”

During Paulsen’s 1980 campaign, Argue put a large Paulsen poster in the shop’s front window along busy Union Street. His  contribution to the political debate drew looks and laughs from passersby.

Paulsen wasn’t the only politician the Robertson’s team has encountered. In 1975, President Gerald Ford was Grand Marshall of the National Cherry Festival’s Cherry Royale Parade, whose route took him right by the shop.

“We got a chance to shake hands with Ford when the parade came by,” recalls Argue. “Whether you like a guy or not, he’s still the president.”

Another celebrity who came by for a shave and a haircut was Buddy Ebsen, who starred as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies and later as the titular character in Barnaby Jones.

In 1972, Ebsen was starring in Our Town at the CCP and dropped by the shop. When Argue finished shaving and trimming the star, Ebsen’s hair was swept up, put in a can, and displayed in a place of honor on a shelf, where it remained for decades.

Other famous clients have included Lyle Waggoner, best known as a member of the Carol Burnett Show cast; George Lindsey, Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show; and Al Melvin, who gained fame as Sam the Butcher on The Brady Bunch.

Still Cutting
Celebrities, forever-clients, and a solid reputation have kept Robertson’s in the game despite the many changes of the passing decades. And at 79, Argue has made very few concessions to trimming his own workload. He’s at the shop cutting hair and greeting friends Wednesdays through Saturdays.

“Some days the legs get a little tired,” he admits with a smile. “But I have no plans to retire. There was a guy in Interlochen who worked til he was 102. I’ll go for that. I just take it another year, another year.”

Robertson's Hair Center is at 109 S, Union St. in Traverse City. (231) 946-8392.