Tony Tassone has cut a lot of hair. 

He recently retired at age 80 after operating his Venetian Barber Shop on 95th Street beside Zocalo for the past 32 years.

Tony apprenticed as a barber at age 16 in Calabria, his hometown in Italy. He immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1966. Tony worked as a barber until 1973 when he turned to working construction to support his growing family. (Tony has three children and five grandchildren.)

He returned to barbering in 1992 and opened his shop on 95th Street.

What’s his secret to giving a great haircut?

“You have to be passionate about your work,” Tony explains. “You have to do what’s best for your clients, that will help them look their best.”

Warming to the subject, Tony adds: “It’s not as easy a job as you might think. You must stand for 10-12 hours on a cement floor and that’s really hard on your back.” 

The years of standing have taken their toll. He has serious arthritis in his back and recently he was in the hospital fighting an infection.

Tony’s been cutting my hair since he opened his shop. His shop was very austere and entering it always felt like going back in time. One of the few decorations were black and white photos of Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando circa 1950s. 

Over the years, I relied on Tony for the latest news and gossip from the Italian community. We mostly talked about nothing important, but through those interactions, we formed a close bond.

In his own way, Tony was fiercely committed to the neighbourhood.

He showed this in 1996 when he agreed to cut long-time resident Bob McKeon’s beard as a fundraiser for the Boyle McCauley News. At the time, the paper was $3,000 in debt. The paper had been publishing since 1979, but its very survival was at stake.

According to a report by Kate Quinn published in the June 1996 edition of the paper, about 50 people gathered on May 1 in the Sacred Heart School gym to “celebrate the work of Boyle McCauley News volunteers past and present.” The highlight of the celebration was Tony cutting Bob’s beard.

“My wife and children and most of my co-workers at St. Joseph’s College had never seen me without a beard,” Bob explained recently. Volunteers contacted about 250 people requesting donations. Just over $5,500 was raised to keep the paper going.

According to Kate’s article, campaign manager Harvey Voogd said, "We didn’t quite make the goal of $7,000, so the mustache stays.”

People from outside McCauley understood how critical the paper was to our low-income community, Bob explained. Much of the support came through small donations from nuns and priests that he worked with.

“The paper is an incredible, grassroots initiative that’s become multi-generational and really special,” he said. Bob moved out of the community two years ago, but he still volunteers as a block carrier.

Phil O'Hara lives in McCauley. He is a former editor of the paper and is a block carrier.