Outside Johnny G's Barber Shop in Jensen Beach, there's a vintage sign decorated to look like a red-and-white barber pole. The sign promises hot baths for two bits, as well as "cupping and leeching."
It's highly unlikely that John Gentile Sr. would have actually given someone a hot bath ― especially not for a quarter ― or that he had many customers asking for unconventional remedies like live leeches to get the blood flowing.
However, when Gentile was alive, asking him about the sign was sure to prompt some type of snappy comeback, or maybe even a funny or interesting story. The whole shop told stories.
The shop sits on Jensen Beach Boulevard just east of the roundabout, the gateway for what's considered "downtown" Jensen Beach.
Gentile took over the shop about six years ago, but the building dates to the 1950s. With its vintage signs, barber pole and bench under the front porch, it looked like an inviting place.
Johnny G's Barber Shop was a trip back in time
Gentile made it even more so with his unconventional decorating touches. You might walk by the shop one day and a life-size Batman figurine would be standing guard out front, with tourists posing for selfies beside it.
Inside, there was a collection of memorabilia impressive enough to put the local Cracker Barrel restaurant to shame: Life-size figurines of the Blues Brothers. Steel model train sets. Vintage barber's gear. Taxidermied animals. Even a clown head hanging from the ceiling.
A trip to Johnny G's for a haircut was like stepping back to a time when the local barber shop was one of the centers for neighborhood gossip. Gentile and his barbers would cut your hair, yes, but they would also entertain you with banter about the weather, politics, sports or just about any topic you wanted to mention.
Sadly, Gentile died of a heart attack in April at the relatively young age of 62. Since then, the fate of his shop ― both the actual building and the business itself ― have been in limbo.
Drew Peterson, one of Gentile's barbers, said the shop owner treated him like a son. After Gentile's passing, it wasn't clear what was going to happen next.
"They (the building's owners) didn't tell us anything," Peterson said. "They just said the lease died with Johnny. They were not interested in renewing the lease."
Rather than wait to see what might happen, Peterson took some money he had saved up and a few donated furnishings and purchased a hairstyling business a few blocks west down Jensen Beach Boulevard, in the Jensen Beach Plaza shopping center.
'We can pay homage to what was there'
Peterson is getting a business license and plans to keep operating as the Jensen Beach Barber Shop, the historic name of the business before Gentile took over.
Peterson knows the new location, located between Maggie's Junque & Book Exchange and Taylor Pest Management, doesn't have the same flair the old place did. He's hoping to change that by bringing in memorabilia like the old location had and creating a "tribute wall" with photos honoring Gentile and the shop's other previous owners and customers.
"You're never going to totally recreate what they had down there" at the other location, Peterson said. "But at least we can pay homage to what was there."
Peterson isn't expecting to make big bucks from the new business venture. Like the Blues Brothers, who were on "a mission from God" in the movie of the same name, Peterson is approaching this new venture with an almost missionary zeal.
"I wanted to come here and keep the story alive," Peterson said. "I just felt obligated to keep this thing going."
Although he's only 34, Peterson wants to maintain the shop's "old-school" tradition. He sees his market as primarily older men, many of whom are snowbirds, who want no-frills $15 haircuts, don't mind a cash-only business and prefer to walk in rather than making appointments.
Peterson figures his best marketing may come through word-of-mouth, but that's difficult to do during the offseason when many potential customers are living up north.
"It gets tricky on how to get the word out," he said. "Once the word gets out, you're good."
Peterson had hoped to get some of the furnishings and decorations from the old shop, but that might not be happening.
Gentile's son, John Gentile Jr., wants to get a barber's license and open a shop somewhere nearby, possibly in Stuart.
Based on conversations with both men, the chances of Gentile Jr. and Peterson joining forces seem unlikely.
"He's doing his own thing," Gentile Jr. said of Peterson. "I'm not really concerned about what Drew does. He didn't talk to me about it."
Gentile Jr. would have preferred to reopen at the same location, but the owner wasn't willing to extend the lease.
While there have been rumors about the building being torn down and replaced with some new development, a caretaker for the property owner says no firm decisions have been made.
Jensen Beach landmark faces an uncertain future
Mike Lowry, who said he's looking after the owner's interests, said renovating the building is also under consideration.
"There are really no plans at all," Lowry said. "I don't look for anything to happen any time soon."
The way it looks right now, the closure of one barber shop could result in the opening of two others ― a "new" Johnny G's, possibly in Stuart, and a "new" Jensen Beach Barber Shop up the hill from the old location.
Time will tell if there are enough customers to keep both shops going, but I'm hopeful because both Peterson and Gentile Jr. seem earnest in their desire to keep old traditions alive.
As for that iconic building, an anchor on a block loaded with bars and restaurants, I'm hoping the renovation scenario proves true. I'm sure it would be tempting, from a financial standpoint, to raze the old building and replace it with a larger and more modern commercial building of some kind.
Hope for the best, but since this is Florida ...
That would be a shame. As I've written in previous columns, Florida doesn't have a lot of historic buildings. Hurricanes and other tropical storms knock down some of them. Humidity and salt air rot others from within.
If there isn't a conscious effort to save at least a few of them, Florida is going to end up as a place with little sense of history.
I hope the barber shop building owner will be sensitive to the need to preserve local history ― and that people living in the community will be willing to provide whatever assistance they can to help make that happen.
Since the building is next door to the Jensen Beach Chamber of Commerce, it seems logical chamber officials would take a leading role in preserving a key part of the downtown area's charm.
I'm also aware that charm and character often take a backseat to money when these types of decisions get made, so if the site of a historic barber shop becomes a new Starbucks, I won't be surprised.
This column reflects the opinion of Blake Fontenay. Contact him via email at bfontenay@gannett.com or at 772-232-5424.
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