Yesterday, I spotted three wonderful photos from Peter Puleo, but what really caught my attention was the story he’d written which profiles one local Canarsie-based barber. I’m excited to share with you, in Peter’s words, the story of the man behind Jack and Frank’s Barber Shop.

Born during the depression and reign of Mussolini in Castelvetrano, Sicily; Jack immigrated with his brother Frank to America just after World War II and settled in Bushwick, Brooklyn working as a dishwasher in a Knickerbocker Avenue Italian eatery. A decade later, Jack and his brother Frank settled in Canarsie and opened a barber shop on Avenue L. Although Frank [retired] in the mid-1990′s, the shop continues to carry both their names.

This little shop continues to thrive as Jack works alone in a much changed neighborhood. Where his customers were once mainly Italian and German Americans, he now has customers of Hispanic, Arab, Chinese, Filipino and Caribbean backgrounds, to name but a few, as well as the small but persistent local white population and those who moved away but come back for a cut and hot shave. Jack is a jovial and very chatty individual with a million and one stories – a true Brooklynite.

For even more photos, stroll on over to Jack and Frank’s Facebook page!