The MLB Fan Cave, where winner of MLB’s Dream Job contest, Mike O’Hara and his wingman, Ryan Wagner, are in the midst of watching every game of the 2011 baseball season, is an unlikely place to find a hair styling event, but that is what caused fans to line up outside the “Cave” Thursday, May 5th at noon. The first ten people in line received a free hair cut from a stylist from Astor Place Hairstylists.
The Takara Belmont Koken Legacy Barber Chair was transported from its home in the MLB Fan Cave “Chop Shop” to the front window on the corner of Broadway and 4th Street in New York City’s Greenwich Village, so that people walking past could watch the event. There, esteemed stylist, “Mike the Barber” from the famous Astor Place Hairstylists shop provided his services for the day, often recreating MLB logos onto the heads of fans. Mike, who is often asked for Yankees and Mets logos in his shop, said, “especially when playoff season starts, we get a lot of requests.”
Most baseball fans wouldn’t admit to giving much thought to their hairstyle, often times hiding their locks under the baseball caps of their favorite team, but as the winning fans waited in line for their cut, they fretted over which style they would choose. Fellow Astor Place employee, “Big Mike”, started off the event by having Mike the Barber adorn his head with a MLB Fan Cave logo on the right side, and the LA Dodgers logo on the left. Though some fans simply opted for a trim, other designs of the day included several Yankees logos and a Nike symbol. There was no shortage of celebrity inspiration at the Fan Cave that day, with visits from LA Dodgers Right Fielder, Andre Ethier, with his slicked back look ending in curls, and former Yankees and Seattle Mariners pitcher, Jeff Nelson, whose crew cut has been well-known in the baseball world for years.
The Koken Legacy Barber Chair, which was used for the event and is designed to bring back that feeling of Barber Shops of days past, fit in well with the nostalgic feel of the MLB Fan Cave. Next to the Chop Shop, where the chair usually sits, can be found a display of “Cave Collectibles”, including an old turnstile, a painting of Babe Ruth, and memorabilia from the Brooklyn Dodgers. The chair evokes a feeling of Americana and what could be more American, than our beloved pastime of baseball.
