Robert Vincent Hair Designers mixes traditional techniques with modern style and flair
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP» Barber Ron Sciocchetti remembers the very first time that he got his hair cut at Robert Vincent Hair Designers on MacDade Boulevard in the Folsom section of Ridley Township. His grandfather brought the young Ron to the barber shop where he had gotten his hair cut for 46 years. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Sciocchetti continued to stop by the barber shop, with the signature red, white and blue barber pole out front, every time that he needed a haircut after that initial visit.
After graduating from Ridley High School in 2015, Sciocchetti attended Premier Barber Institute in Norristown, where he perfected his barbery skills. He then took a job at Kreationz By Hand on South Street in Philadelphia. He worked there for about nine months, but just didn’t feel like it was the right fit for him. When he heard that Robert Vincent “Bob” Dolente, owner of Robert Vincent Hair Designers, was considering bringing in another barber to share the shop’s floor, Sciocchetti jumped at the chance to come full circle and return to his neighborhood.
“Old time barber shops are getting fewer and fewer,” Sciocchetti commented last week. “I feel like most men want this kind of shop because it is much more personal. We get to know our customers. The other shop I worked at had about eight barbers and it was high volume and competitive. This shop has a nice, laid-back feel to it. Men of all ages like to come in, to get a good haircut for a fair price, and enjoy some good conversation with other guys.”
Dolente of Springfield has been behind the barber chair since 1961, when he trained at Cal-Mir School of Barbery at Eighth and Cherry streets, Philadelphia. He opened his first shop in Providence Shopping Center in Secane, where he operated from 19691974. From there, he moved to his permanent home at 434 MacDade Blvd., where he has been a part of the community ever since.
Dolente said he has seen it all through the years. He used to travel to New York City to learn new cuts. He learned a lot through the 1970s, when long hair was all the rage.
“I’ve done every kind of style — from long to short to buzz cuts to fades, and everything else that came into style. It’s all about preference and what men feel looks good on them,” Dolente said. “I also shape up beards and do straight razor shaves. My shop is old school in the one sense, but I’ve definitely kept up on what men want”
Although most of his traffic comes from Ridley and its neighboring towns, Dolente said many of his customers who have moved away, travel back because they like his shop and how he cuts their hair.
“People get comfortable. They like that we talk about sports and whatever else comes up. Men seem to have a good experience when they get their hair cut here,” Dolente remarked. “Ron is building a following now. Before you know it, he’ll have a steady line of customers who will only want him to cut their hair or trim their beard because they’ll like the way he does it.”
Customer Ernie Volpe of Norwood, who works for the U.S. Postal Service, has been coming to Robert Vincent Hair Designers for 15 years. He brought his son there as soon as he turned 7.
“I just took a liking to this place,” Volpe said last week as Dolente snipped away with his cutting shears, until he was satisfied with the resulting neat haircut. “I come in about every sixeight weeks to get my hair cut. If I ever moved, I wouldn’t hesitate to drive 45 minutes to come here. It’s a good barber shop.”
Dolente said he saw business drop slightly after Pathmark Supermarket closed in 2015, but hopes the new Lidl, coming to the same location by early fall, will be good for business.
“Often, men would drop their wives or mothers off at the supermarket and they’d come next door here for a haircut,” Dolente remembered fondly. “I hope this new supermarket will have the same effect.”
Either way, Dolente and Sciocchetti feel they present a unique opportunity for customers who come into Robert Vincent Hair Designers for a cut or trim.
“Barbery is a craft, a skill, and not everyone masters it like Bob has. This barber shop is a mixture of the old and the new and there aren’t too many places like this around anymore,” Sciocchetti said. “Younger guys might feel more comfortable now that I’m here. Bob and I both bring something special to the shop, mixing modern techniques with men’s tradition. With bringing our barber skills from two different generations, we really do have the best of both worlds here which translates into customers.” a lot of satisfied