Larry Riney Retires After 65 Years Behind the Barber’s Chair
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After 65 years of cutting hair and endless conversations, Memphis barber Larry Riney is hanging up his scissors for good.
At 84 years old, Larry has decided it’s time to step away from the chair he’s occupied since 1960.
“It’s time to do something else for a change,” he said with a chuckle.
His final day at Larry’s Barber Shop will be July 26.
Encouraged by his father and Lloyd Lancaster, Larry enrolled in barber school in the fall of 1959.
“I started in September and got out in March of 1960. I’ve been cutting hair ever since,” he said.
Larry started his 18-month apprenticeship under Lloyd Lancaster at Westside Barber Shop. He worked there with Lloyd, Shorty, and Paul Lancaster.
He went out on his own in 1964, opening Larry’s Barber Shop in a freshly built building just southwest of the Memphis town square.
Over the years, Larry has seen styles come and go, from crew cuts to long hair and back again.
“When I first started, people came in every two to three weeks to get a cut,” he recalled. “Now, it’s different.”
In the early days, Saturday nights were especially busy. “We’d work till eleven or twelve o’clock before we would leave. The latest I ever worked here was three o’clock in the morning,” he said.
At the time Larry started cutting hair, Memphis had six barbers, and there were barber shops in many of the surrounding towns. Now, Larry is one of the few remaining in the area.
“A lot of places just don’t have barbers anymore,” he said. “Some folks come from Kahoka, Edina, Bloomfield, and beyond just to get a haircut here.”
In the beginning, Larry charged just one dollar for a haircut. Larry remembers that out of that dollar, he took home 75 cents. Today, he charges $10, a modest price in a world of rising costs.
“If someone were to take over the shop, they’d probably need to charge $15 or $20 just to make it,” he said.
While he’s talked to a few people about continuing the business, no successor has stepped forward yet.
Throughout the decades, Larry has been more than a barber in the area. He’s been a trusted friend, a good listener, and a constant in a town that’s changed around him.
“I enjoy talking with the customers,” he said. “I’ll miss the people the most and miss seeing them and visiting with them.”
Larry wants to thank all of his customers for their business over the years.
Larry Riney’s retirement marks the end of an era in Memphis. After 65 years of serving the community, he’s ready to enjoy more time for himself and his hobbies. Though he won’t be cutting hair anymore, his friendly conversations and familiar presence will be remembered by many.
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