Barbershop a dream realized in Carp

CARP – When West Carleton Online first met Andrew Papadopoli, he was at the Carp Road Flea Market selling his own line of products every barber could use.

This was June 2023, and even then Papadopoli was dreaming of operating his own barber shop just like his grandfather before him, preferably in Carp.

Fast forward to April, and Papadopoli is sitting by the cash register of his downtown Carp barber shop, Giacinto’s Barbershop (433A Donald B. Munro Dr.) just like his grandfather did in Montreal 40 years earlier. It was a dream come true.

Giacinto’s Barbershop, located right at Carp’s four corners, opened in late March, and for Papadopoli, it’s been a long time coming.

Papadopoli is originally from Montreal but moved to the Carp area in 2022. In Montreal, his grandfather Giacinto ran a barbershop which he opened in 1953. It was something Papadopoli had thought of, but it didn’t seem possible until a conversation with longtime Carp resident Greg LaBlanc.

“I was having a conversation with Greg, and he mentioned Carp could really used a barbershop,” Papadopoli told West Carleton Online last June. “I noticed there weren’t any and I said, ‘you know, Greg, that’s a really good idea.’ That really struck a chord with me because my grandfather was a barber. I thought why not bring the family business here?”

GIacinto, or Jack as his grandchildren knew him due to the difficulty they had pronouncing his name, was already the third generation of barbers in the Papadopoli family. Giacinto’s dad and grandfather were both barbers in Italy.

Giacinto was born in Ururi, a small village in the Campobasso province of Italy. Giacinto was drafted in to the Italian army in 1941. When he returned, he took up the family trade.

“You didn’t go to school back then,” Papadopoli said. “You learned the family trade. In fact, in his village there were too many barbers. There was a village full of them. That’s one of the reasons he emigrated to Canada.”

Giacinto grew his Montreal business to 80 customers per day at its peak.

In the 40 years the barbershop operated, the only new technology that would come through the doors was a colour television, an electric latherer and a shavette razor. Shaves were still done with a straight razor. Giacinto passed away in 2009.

And in 2024, Papadopoli opened his own shop, named after his grandfather.

“We’ve been working on this place since late October (2023),” Papadopoli told West Carleton Online from his shop last Thursday (April 18). “We’re a little tucked away, but we’re right on the four corners.”

From his grandfather’s shops in Montreal, to selling beard care products at the Carp Road Flea Market, to running his own three-chair barbershop, it feels kind of like a dream.

“It’s like passing through a portal,” Papadopoli said. “I feel like I’ve always been here.”

Giacinto’s Family Barbershop has that old world charm. You can get an espresso while you wait. Papadopoli has several display cases set up for local businesses to display their products. There’s giant corkboards so community organization’s can share their events.

“The community has been very supportive,” he said.

Papadopoli’s barber Hari Darazi is someone he knew from college, and he knew he would be the perfect barber for the Carp community.

“We met in barber school,” Darazi told West Carleton Online. “He said he wanted to open a shop. I worked downtown for a year. When Papdopoli was looking, I liked the place. I see the potential. I can do all kinds of styles. From trends, to fades to the simple cuts. I think we have satisfied our customers.”

“We had our first repeat customer yesterday (April 17),” Papadopoli said. “We had a couple of kids the other day. Afterwards, they said ‘Harry’s our barber now.’ We have high standards. I would love to attract people to Carp. Bring people here from outside the village. It’s a win-win for the business and the community. I want this to be a hub and every day I work a little more toward that.”

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