Tell ‘Em Frank Clarke Sent Ya

Cole pays his respects…

or at least two generations of Greystonians, Frank Clarke is the patron saint of barbers in this town.

Incredible to think now, but his Ladies & Gents Hairdressers stood on the corner leading up to Meridian Point for 62 years.

First opening his doors in 1943, Frank finally shut up shop in 2005, old age and an increasingly unsteady hand in those last few years having earned him the mischievous nickname of Van Gogh.

Scurrilous rumour had it that quite a few Greystonians walked out of there with a piece of their ears missing.

Not that we believe a word of it. 

Frank sadly passed away at Eyrefield Nursing Home on Thursday, April 30th 2009, his standing as a true Greystones icon ensuring that his name lived on.

And Frank Clarke will live on even further with the establishment of Frank’s Corner at Cole & Co’s barbershop on Hillside Road. A gold-framed print of a portrait taken by Frank’s talented nephew, Jack Clarke, gives a brief description of the man himself, and the many years he proved himself a cut above your average barber.

As Cole & Co joins the rest of the town in reopening tomorrow, we grab a few minutes with hair apparent, Paul Cole, to find out more about the inspiration behind this touching tribute…

You can find out more about Cole & Co Barbershop on Hillside Road here, and go explore more of Jack Clarke’s incredible photographs here.