Traer Historical Museum volunteers Ron Mason, Don Stansbery, and Bob Hill pictured in front of the Hesperia-Olivet Lodge sign and barber pole in downtown Traer last week while moving the chair from the former Jon’s Barber Styling Shop to its new home down the street at the museum. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

TRAER – The barber chair from Jon’s Barber Styling Shop brings back memories of the sports clippings on the wall and the conversations with Jon Trousdale while getting a haircut. The chair was moved to the Traer Historical Museum last week by Ron Mason, Don Stansbery and Bob Hill. It has been donated to the museum by the Hesperia-Olivet Lodge, #340 A.F. & A.M.

The chair is quite old and was owned by Vallie Musfelt for many years prior to Mr. Trousdale.

Vallie Musfelt came to Traer from Elkader, Iowa around 1928 to work for Dan Conner, a Traer barber. Later, he was a partner in a shop with Carmi Conner. He married Ann Vesely in 1931 and they had a daughter LaVonn.

In 1937, Mr. Musfelt opened his own barber shop in the basement of the Please-U Grocery on the corner of Second Street and Hwy 63. The building is empty now but recently housed the Members First Credit Union.

In 1939 the Musfelt barber shop moved to a room in the telephone building, which was torn down and is now part of the south Farmers Savings Bank parking lot.

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Vallie’s Barber Shop opened in the Hesperia Lodge building in 1955. His nephew Donald Vesely was also a barber in the shop. Jon Trousdale began work as an apprentice barber in April 1964 after barber school. In 1973, Mr. Musfelt retired and sold the shop to Mr. Trousdale, who changed the name to Jon’s Barber Styling. The chair has been in the shop since it opened in 1955. Mr. Musfelt may have used it at previous locations.

After over 65 years as a barber shop, the space in the Hesperia-Olivet Lodge became home of Creations by Christy, a hair styling salon operated by Christy Bradley.

The Traer Historical Museum plans to create a display about barber and beauty shops in Traer over the years. If anyone has any historic items or photos of barber shops, beauty shops, and the people who operated those businesses, please consider making a donation to the museum. High quality scans of photos are welcome as well. The museum operates on donations and does not receive tax funding.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO