At Astor Place Hairstylists the other day, a businessman and a barber sat around talking razors. Electric, disposable, Harry’s, Schick, safety, straight: “It’s a three-billion-dollar industry!” Jonathan Trichter, the businessman, said. “When Gillette came out with the Mach 3, they put seven hundred fifty million into manufacturing and development. It took seven years.” Joel Valle,...Read More

That was a close shave. A group of deep-pocketed New York customers has stepped in to save the iconic Astor Place Hair Stylists barbershop from going out of business after nearly 75 years. Photo by Helayne Seidman The East Village classic — whose customers have included everyone from pop artist Andy Warhol to actor Robert...Read More

Astor Place Hairstylists, the venerable barbershop that has stood in the East Village of Manhattan for about 75 years, almost closed during the pandemic. Not only has it survived, but the buzzing of clippers is now joined once a month by DJs who turn the 10,000 square-foot basement into a dance club.Read More

The iconic Astor Place barbershop in Manhattan’s East Village will no longer be family-owned, but its new management said it will still be a cut above the rest. Gone are co-owners John and Paul Vezza, who will be turning in their trimmers for good after Wednesday — making it the first time in 73 years...Read More

Food nerds love to wax on about the romance of the artisan, that (often imagined) person who is singularly devoted to the craft of cooking, of creating something with their hands, always prioritizing deliciousness over profits. These are the people training their dogs to sniff out truffles in the woods of Alba, the Thai street...Read More

GREENWICH VILLAGE, Manhattan — It’s a small business success story thanks to some loyal customers who stepped in to save Astor Place Hairstylists. On the brink of closing down last Wednesday, the third generation owners of this 74-year-old basement barbershop institution in the Village were ready to walk away, but the staff and loyal customers...Read More

In the lower part of New York City’s Manhattan, there sits a one-block street called Astor Place. It’s home to some of the most iconic barber shops in America, including the legendary Astor Place Hairstylists that’s been at the helm of the NYC community for the past 75 years. Over the course of the pandemic,...Read More

In this mercurial COVID-19 era of destructive change, where iconic storefronts and local haunts have been forced to take one final bow and close for good, it is always encouraging, life-affirming even, to hear when one of these legacy locations has been able to weather the storm and remain active.Read More

Mike Savello, owner of Astor Place Hairstylists, talks about how his business survived during the pandemic and its long history of serving some of the world’s most recognized names. New York City’s mom-and-pop stores are immortalized into historical institutions through tourism, movies and music. Even so, few businesses can encapsulate the word “iconic” like Astor Place...Read More