Barber who closed in Oakwood opens in new location in Dayton

Schurman’s Barber Service last year shut down its 2533 Far Hills Avenue location in Oakwood, but now the barbershop has found a new home at 541 Wilmington Avenue in Dayton.

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In December, owner Steve Toller said a lease agreement with the building’s new owner, Washington Twp.-based Miami Valley Commercial Group, could not be reached, so he decided to shutter the business for good.

“Sorry we had to close unexpectedly, our lease ran out and the new price was unacceptable,” Toller announced in a message to his longtime customers after the business closed. “We are looking for a place to set-up a new shop and that will take some time. In the meantime, I am looking for a chair to rent to get into and start cutting some hair again.”

But now Toller has a new message that will delight his faithful customers, and he delivered it as a steady stream of customers came into his place on Thursday. The new operation has opened its doors, and the hours are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop is closed on Sunday and Monday.

“It’s been a stressful few weeks since we closed as we were trying to get things straight and figure out what to do with ourselves,” he said. “It’s been great getting open, and we’ve had quite a few of our customers find us as they are catching up with us at our new location.”

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Schurman’s new location will seem familiar to some, since it is in the same spot as the old Curly’s barbershop. That actually helped get Toller back in business sooner-than-later.

“This was already a shop, so we brought what we needed to get it open. Like we have our old sign and the barber pole will go up eventually,” he said. “This place had been sitting here empty for 6 to 8 months. I was able to track down the landlord and he was very nice.”

The barbershop is regulated by the state barber board, which held an inspection to make sure everything was up to code and ready to operate.

“Technically we are in Dayton, but only a couple of miles away from our old location in Oakwood,” he said. “We want to reach out to all of our customers so they can find us here.”

Mark Risley, a longtime member and board member of the historical society, said he’s been a loyal customer of the shop for more than 50 years. He was happy to hear that Schurman’s is operating again.

“I had heard that they were open in a new location, and that is great news,” Risley said. “I plan on going there soon for a haircut.”

The Miami Valley Commercial Group has not responded for a request to comment.

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