Best of 2001: Best Barbershop

Harvey's Barber Shop
105 South Meadowbrook Drive, Southeast San Diego
619-479-2784

On Saturdays at four in the morning, when Curtis Harvey, 67, unlocks the door to his barbershop, there is already a line. Harvey's customers, driving in from all over the county, begin filling the parking lot an hour before. Tuesday through Friday, shop hours are the traditional 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; but for the last 15 years, to accommodate his customers on Saturdays, Harvey opens at 4:00 a.m. and closes his doors at 4:30 p.m. "And however many people are here then," he says, "even if it's a hundred, I take care of them." Harvey sometimes works 16 hours on Saturdays. He's been cutting hair for 47 years and has been at the Meadowbrook address for 35 years. He and Red, the other barber, are old pros. Regardless of race, sex, or age, customers can get a haircut, facial, shoes shined, or hair texturized. The barbershop feels comfortable, with plenty of chairs, yellowing photos on the walls, and current magazines. The talk is easy, and here nobody is a stranger.