West Allegheny to Host Gold Card Club Holiday Breakfast

PAID ADVERTORIAL
Check Us Out
on Facebook!
ERIC PIZER
JORDAN BOYD
7948 Steubenville Pike, Imperial, PA 15126 412.440.3000
Did “The Beatles” put the American barbershop out of business for over 70 years Word on the grapevine
is that they did, but it’s 2012 and men getting their haircuts in a barbershop is back to stay this time! Would
you like a good, old-fashioned haircut that includes eyebrow, ear, and nose trimming Perhaps a hot lather
neck shave Maybe make your beard or mustache look perfect with flawless straight lines on the top and
bottom of your beard!
Right in the heart of Imperial, at 7948 Steubenville Pike, and in between Don’s Pizza and The Inn Place,
Pizer’s Barber Shop, owned by Eric Pizer, stands ready to serve the male population of the community with
top notch service, attention to detail, and an environment that combines the ambiance of barbershops of old
with West Allegheny’s red and gray. Throw in some unique touches like the thousands of Lincoln head
pennies (all heads up) and a few random old wheat pennies that make up the custom countertops, a couple
of brand new flat screen televisions with a Bose surround sound system, and a cooler filled with complimentary
sodas, water, beer, and such.
Eric, a 2003 graduate of West Allegheny High School, traveled an unusual path before deciding to become a
barber entrepreneur. He studied business at CCAC, then went to the University of Pittsburgh and began
working towards his bachelor’s degree in accounting. "I really liked the idea of working for myself and doing
something in the community that would help people,” he said.
He decided to take the risk and forge ahead with the idea of opening a community barbershop in his
hometown. Eric apprenticed under a good friend’s mom (JoAnn McMurray, barber manager). About a year
later he got licensed by the state. In Pennsylvania, barbers are required to put in 1,250 hours of training
before they are considered ready for the state licensing. Barbers have to study a variety of skills, including
the use of a straight razor, for 200 hours. Barbers also cut male clients everyday as a student. There were
two tests, a written exam and a practical.
“It was intense," described Eric, who passed both of his tests on the first try.
Recently, Eric upgraded his chairs and many other things in the shop. He spent hours hunting online for
the perfect barber’s chairs. He snagged one such chair, circa 1903 brand THEO A. KOCH’s, which, he says,
"sat for 70 years in storage at a local state hospital; it was in a closet, never used."