Roger’s Hairstyling moves closer to home

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

John Geesman sat in Roger Mulcahy’s barber chair Thursday afternoon and was quick to reminisce.

This wasn’t his first rodeo.

“I think he’s been cutting my hair since I was 15,” said Geesman.

The Mason City pharmacist has been a long, loyal customer of Mulcahy, the owner of Roger’s Hairstyling in Charles City.

“There isn’t anybody that can do what Roger can do,” said Geesman. “I’ve gone to a lot of different people over the years to try and cut my hair, but nobody can do it like Roger does.”

Mulcahy has been cutting hair for his customers for quite some time. He wouldn’t divulge just how long he’s been honing his craft and trimming his faithful clientele’s bangs and necklines – making sure they look just right.

“I don’t want people to know how old I am,” joked Mulcahy.

Decades of forging friendships, cleaning combs and sharpening scissors in a profession he truly loves hasn’t made Mulcahy lose track of time — but sometimes it can make it stand still.

The memories have been that good.

“I like making people look nice,” Mulcahy said.

Sometimes it’s the banter back and forth that will make a haircut seem almost secondary after a visit. Whether it’s just 10 or 15 minutes to chat, words of advice offered or lending a sympathetic ear, Mulcahy offers his own personal touch. The discussions between him and those who have sat in his chair are an added bonus for a hair professional who has seen and heard a lot over the years.

“We have real private conservations,” said Mulcahy.

So it’s no surprise that people come from all over to get their hair cut or their beard trimmed by Mulcahy — some from as far as California.

“There was a guy in here this morning from California and he didn’t like the haircut he got last time in California. So he gave me specific instructions on how to cut his hair and then he was going to go back and show somebody that haircut,” laughed Mulcahy.

Mulcahy has moved his hairstyling business from the Kelly Mall out to where he lives 3 miles west of Charles City. Customers can grab a cup of coffee and sit down next to the fireplace in Mulcahy’s new addition that houses his barber shop.

“I like the idea that it’s a homey environment,” he said.

People who come from quite a distance for a haircut are aided by the fact that out back behind his property is a small grass airstrip. He constructed it in the 1970s and some customers use it to fly in.

“You don’t necessarily have to fly here to get your haircut,” laughed Mulcahy.

Mulcahy’s love of aviation is something he shares with quite a few of his customers, including Geesman. Geesman said he’s flown with Mulcahy since his mid-teens and he remembers all kinds of trips, including in inclement weather.

“Thunderstorms sneak up on you sometimes,” Geesman said, smiling.

Geesman recalls the first time he stepped into a cockpit with Mulcahy, lifted off the ground and the plane raced up into the clouds. The two have flown down to Knoxville several times to watch the sprint car championships in that town just south of Des Moines.

“That was the first time I’d ever flown. I sat in the back seat on the way down and he let me sit in the front seat on the way back,” said Geesman. “I just thought that was about the neatest thing.”

Geesman said Mulcahy is more than just an aerial artist up in the sky with his airplanes. He’s a bit of a daredevil on the ground or in the water as well. Those forays include motorcycles, scuba diving, skydiving and skiing.

But Mulcahy’s passion still remains in flight.

“It’s interesting to see things from the air – everything becomes miniature,” said Mulcahy.

Mulcahy has helped many of his customers build their own airplanes. He has a hanger on his property and often gets kits shipped to him from overseas. Those kits can include a propeller from Germany or an imported part from the Czech Republic.

There’s plenty of shop talk about planes that goes on around Mulcahy’s barber chair.

That’s part of the reason Mike Mullenbach will get in his airplane and make the short seven-minute flight from his home north of Stacyville to Mulcahy’s new location.

“I sure like it. I got an airstrip on my farm so I just go get in the airplane and fly to Roger to get a haircut,” said Mullenbach. “The best part is you get to talk about airplanes.”

Geesman said Mulcahy is a perfectionist – that’s a good thing. Friends can say that about one another.

“There is a desire for Roger to make sure that everybody gets what they want,” said Geesman. “I think that’s the other thing that probably keeps people coming back.”