Barbershops have always been a refuge for men in America, a place where they come to relax and leave the cares of the everyday at the door. A barber is a very important person in a man’s life, providing the gathering spot to hang out with other men and talk about sports, politics, and other guy stuff. Oh yeah, they can also get haircuts there too.

In early October, Ed Torres opened the doors of his Fishtown barbershop (located at the corners of Montgomery and Girard) for a cause beyond male bonding. Some very deserving students from Penn Treaty Middle School came to the shop for their own private haircut party. Eddie and one of his barber’s Brandon Heary, spent the afternoon giving haircuts to the kids free of charge.

Ed moved into the shop in the summer of 2009, but he is a twenty four year veteran of the business. Torres used to cut hair in Northeast Philadelphia and West Grove, PA. He is no stranger to the neighborhood either. Ed was raised on Green Street in Northern Liberties and attended Roman Catholic High School.

Penn Treaty Middle School’s Principal, Sam Howell, is a customer at Ed’s barber shop, getting his haircut there on a regular basis. Over the summer, Howell and Torres worked out a promotion for free “back to school” haircuts for the first thirty Penn Treaty students who came in the shop after September 1st. The minute that Eddie met a student named Marc, he felt really good about the shop’s promotion.

“Marc was just so happy and grateful, more so than anyone else I gave a free haircut. After meeting him, I spoke to the principal about giving free haircuts to everyone in Marc’s class,” said Torres. Ed visited Penn Treaty Middle School to speak with students in Ms. DeEtta Lassance’s class. Like many Philadelphia schoolteachers, Ms. Lassance is a bright and generous soul who gives everything she has to her students. She was very happy that someone from the community was giving her students such positive attention.

“When the students were given the news about the haircuts, they were thrilled,” stated Principal Howell. So on Wednesday, October 16, Ms. Lassance and fellow teacher Ms. Fine walked their students over to Ed’s Barber shop. The boys had an awesome time and were extremely appreciative to hang out at the shop and leave the burdens of the school day at the door. The barbers made the students feel right at home, like they were all one of the guys. “I thought that Eddie and Brandon were just amazing with my kids,” said Ms. Lassance, “These were not just quick haircuts. They took their time and made sure every boy’s cut came out just perfect.”

“They really seemed to enjoy themselves at the shop,” said Torres, “and they were so grateful for the haircuts. They genuinely appreciated what we did.”

Brandon is not only a barber, but a visual artist on paper as well, designing and drawing in his spare time. One student in particular tugged at his heartstrings through the gift of a fellow artist. “A student named Lenny gave me a card that he made labeled ‘Free Haircut’. It had these awesome drawings on it of a barber. I didn’t really know what it was at first until I looked closely at it,” said Brandon, “but it made me feel really good to know that this kid appreciated what we did and that he took time out of his day to do that for me.”

Brandon is one of the newer barbers at Ed’s shop, and he loves it there. Heary was born in Fishtown, but moved away when he was still in grade school. Recently, his family moved back to Philadelphia in the Port Richmond section, just a short trolley ride away from Ed’s shop. “Working this event with Ed gave me a good feel for the shop. It felt really good to give back to the community, but it also made me feel a lot more comfortable working at a new place. Eddie is a great boss, and I was happy to do a project like this with him.”

Ed is very happy to have Brandon on staff at his shop. Regarding his new hire, he said, “Brandon came along just at the right time. It was great having him as an extra set of hands on this. He does really good work.”

All in all, it was a great day in the neighborhood. The students of Penn Treaty felt like they were part of an exclusive club. “Penn Treaty thanks Ed’s Barber Shop not only for their generosity, but for going out of their way, making the trips to Penn Treaty and coming up with the idea of providing this gift to our boys,” said Mr. Howell.

Ed’s shop is located at 600 East Girard Avenue, open Tuesday through Saturday. Walk-ins are always welcome.