DRAPER — After nearly six decades, a Utah barber is putting down the scissors.
Rex Rogers opened Rex's Barber Shop on Fort Street back in 1957.
It all started when Rogers was in the Navy in 1943. He was waiting in line to get his hair cut one day when the barber explained it would be a while, since there were only two stylists on shift.
"He says, 'I wish I could find someone to cut hair,' and I said, 'How about me, Schneider?' and he said, 'Can you cut hair, Rogers?' I said, 'No,' and he dropped his tools and said, 'Come with me,'" Rogers recalled.
The rest is history. When he came home, he went to barber school, worked for a couple of years and then looked to open a business of his own. He got his shot in the late 1950s.
"My wife says, 'Honey, I got you a barbershop,' and I says, 'Where is that?' She said, 'Downtown Draper, right here in Draper,'" Rogers said.
It’s been 59 years since he opened his doors. He’s seen hundreds of clients, attributing his success to word of mouth.
"I'll give them a good shave or a good haircut, and they would tell their friends to come to me and it was great," Rogers said.
One of his customers was none other than Colonel Sanders, the founder of the fast-food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken.
"I shaved him, trimmed his beard, cut his hair, and he wouldn't let anybody else do it," Rogers said.
Saying goodbye Wednesday night was not only bittersweet for the 92-year-old, but also his customers. Leslie McClure was his very last client.
"A lot of folks will really feel a loss," McClure said.
Rogers reluctantly retired to focus on his health. Looking back at his time behind the chair, he admits he has no regrets. When asked what he will now be doing with his free time, he plans to do more fishing and perhaps go on a cruise.
Email: amoser@deseretnews.com