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Shepard's Barber Shop

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
Shepard’s Barber Shop in its current state at 116 Simonton Street in downtown Conroe. The establishment has been a barber shop since 1912. Leon Apostolo currently earns the shop and Bob Shepard owns the building.

Historic building has served as a barber shop
for more than 100 years
by Sondra Hernandez

For more than a century, generations of Conroe boys and men have looked to the barber shops housed in the “Little Jack West Building” for a clean cut, close shave and clever conversation.

On Tuesday, that rich history will be celebrated and cemented as the Montgomery County Commissioners Court and the Montgomery County Historical Commission present the first Montgomery County Historical Marker to the current shop in the building, Shepard’s Barber Shop.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
Pictured are Bob Shepard, left and Leon Apostolo, right. Apostolo currently owns Shepard's Barber Shop and Shepard owns the historic building the shop is in.

The dedication takes place at 8:30 a.m. at 116 Simonton Street in downtown Conroe.

According to Larry Foerster, Montgomery County Historical Society Commission chairman, the building that the barber shop is in, has had the distinction of being the oldest barber shop in continuous use in Montgomery County and perhaps even the state.

The old building, constructed in 1911 and then known as the “Little Jack West Building,” has been consistently used as a barber shop since 1912.

The Building’s Beginnings

There’s no doubt that a massive fire on Feb. 21, 1911 was a major turning point in the city’s young history.

According to a narrative history drafted by Foerster and Sharon R. Russell with help from Old Republic Title of Conroe, 65 wooden structures on the east and south side of the courthouse square were destroyed in the blaze.

Conroe citizens quickly began to rebuild and new buildings were constructed of brick in compliance with a February 23, 1911 “Fire Limits” Ordinance prohibiting combustible buildings in downtown Conroe.

Among the new structures was a two-story brick building constructed by Pete West and his son, Jack West, called the West Building at the time. Today that building houses The Corner Pub.

A second smaller building was later constructed next to the West Building using bricks leftover from the construction of the West Building. It was called the “Little Jack West Building” and today houses Shepard’s Barber Shop.

The Family Ties Behind the First Barber Shop

According to Carolyn Cryar, a cousin of the West family and respected Conroe historian, Jack West was married to Susie Uzzell and Henry Williamson married Willie Mae Frolick on Oct. 12, 1912.

The history narrative describes how Susie and Willie Mae were first cousins and very close.

Williamson had a barber shop on Main Street that was lost in the 1911 fire.

Bob Shepard, the owner of the “Little Jack West Building” said Jack West must have felt for his wife’s family and decided to help by building a little shop to replace the one that Williamson had lost in the fire.

The smaller building was constructed of red brick that was left over from the construction of the West Building next door.

It’s estimated in the narrative that the building was completed in late 1911.

According to Shepard’s interviews with long-time Conroe residents, Williamson operated the four-chair barbershop until 1938 when he sold it to Stovall Thomas.

Shepard’s Path to Becoming a Barber

Shepard’s father was working at a mill along FM 2854 when Shepard was born in 1935 and was delivered at home by the mill doctor, Dr. Bartell.

A few short years later, his family moved back to the Conroe townsite and Shepard attended Conroe schools.

In his high school years, many of Shepard’s buddies were going off to join the Army.

While Shepard’s mother wouldn’t agree to the Army, she did agree to sign the papers for him to enlist in the Air Force.

Shepard served as a medic stationed in the Shreveport, La. area.

While working as a medic, one of his co-workers convinced him that he should go to barber’s college and get his license so he could earn some extra money while he was going to college with help from the G.I. Bill.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
Pictured are left, barbers Stovall Thomas, Dalton Hearn, Bob Shepard and Sam Brannon with shoe shine man Jesse Mayers. The photo was taken about 1960 when Stovall Thomas owned the barber shop.

Shepard began cutting hair in the barber shop now known as Shepard’s Barber Shop in 1959 when it was owned and operated by Stovall Thomas.

In 1968, Thomas sold the barber shop business to Warren Stubblefield, who owned the shop until Shepard bought the business in 1971. At the time, Shepard leased the building from the West family.

The legacy of a Young Barber

A young Leon Apostolo had grown up in the Conroe area and at 17, was trying to figure out what to do with his future.

Apostolo’s dad, Bernie, had a friend, R. C. McWright, who had a barber shop and told Bernie to send Leon to barber college and he’d hire him.

Apostolo attended barber college in The Heights neighborhood of Houston, and after passing his exam in Lubbock, began working at a barber shop on Main Street in Conroe.

He said things didn’t really work out there and he was sent to see Bobby Joe Shepard, who had been a childhood friend of father Bernie’s.

Apostolo started at Shepard’s Barber Shop in August of 1978 at the age of 17.

Shepard and fellow barber Mark Slaughter mentored Apostolo and the torch has now been passed on to Apostolo who owns Shepfard’s Barber Shop.

Apostolo bought the shop from Shepard when Shepard retired in 2013.

Working with People

Both Apostolo and Shepard conclude that they’ve cut three-and-four generations of hair for some Conroe families.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
The wall opposite of the barber chairs at Shepard's Barber Shop is filled with memorabilia and photo from Montgomery County's history. There's photos of Conroe in its infancy and after the big fire of 1911. There's also lots of memorabilia from Roy Harris' boxing fame and of local singer Larry Butler and his good friend Willie Nelson

And there’s pictures on their memorabilia wall of great-grandfathers, grandfathers, sons and grandsons all standing together with the barbers of the shop.

Shepard said there’s no telling how many first haircuts have taken place in the shop. And in some instances those children are now returning as grown men to have their hair trimmed.

Apostolo and Shepard agree that meeting people and hearing their stories is one of the the things they enjoy most about being a barber.

“I really enjoy meeting a lot of interesting people and hearing a lot of interesting stories,” Apostolo said.

He added he gets a real sense of satisfaction from making someone look good and feel good.

“That’s rewarding, when they compliment me and say ‘Man, that looks good,’ that makes me feel good,” Apostolo said. “That’s why I take pride in my work and it makes me want to do my best to make them look and feel good. That’s my reward.”

The History

The wall behind the waiting area at Shepard’s Barber Shop is filled with local history and memorabilia that’s been given to the shop over the years.

Some of the photos show Conroe in its infancy, the destruction of Conroe’s 1911 fire and more.

Then there’s the shop’s brush with celebrity.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
A picture hangs on the wall at Shepard's Barber shop of a young Elvis Presley getting a haircut at the barber shop when he was in Conroe in August 1955 on the Louisiana Hayride Tour.

One photo on the wall shows a young Elvis Presley having his hair cut in August 1955. Presley was a part of the Louisiana Hayride Tour and played a concert in Conroe along with local musician and now radio personality Mary McCoy one August night atop a flatbed trailer on the local football field.

There’s also lots of posters from famed Roy Harris’ boxing days and photos and posters of local musician Larry Butler solo and with his good friend Willie Nelson.

Even the hat stand, checker board and Coke machine are vintage.

“I think people today are hungry for that,” Apostolo said. “In the fast-paced times we live in, they can come in here and feel like wow, ‘I remember this from when I was a kid.’ It takes them to a simpler time when things were at a much slower pace.”

Once when Shepard was trying to make some updates to the shop, he decided sell the old-style chairs in favor of more modern ones for $100 a piece.

“Boy was that a dumb stunt,” he said.

Turns out the old-style chairs are what the customers wanted and those pieces of nostalgia are still a part of the shop today.

The Building’s Upgrade

In June 2000, Shepard purchased the building from owners Billy Mark McKnight, Mark West McKnight and Susie Rose McKnight, the grandchildren of Jack West.

Photo Courtesy of Montgomery County Historical Commission
Shepard's Barber Shop circa 2006 before improvements were made to the building in 2007.

In March 2007, Shepard executed a facade easement and conservation right agreement with the city of Conroe. A grant helped restore and renovate the facade.

Although the faces of the barbers have changed throughout the years, the style, nostalgia and friendly service and banter remain.

“It’s a really good shop,” Shepard concludes.

Much information in this report is credited to an application for an official Montgomery County Historical Marker for Shepard’s Barber Shop by Larry L. Foerster and Sharon R. Russell with assistance from Old Republic Title of Conroe, and presented to the Montgomery County Historical Commission.