He
’s been here for 35 years, but now he says it time to put away
the shears. David Herrera, owner of Nob Hill Hair Care in Morgan
Hill, has decided to retire.
He’s been here for 35 years, but now he says it time to put away the shears. David Herrera, owner of Nob Hill Hair Care in Morgan Hill, has decided to retire.
“After 35 long years of owning Nob Hill Hair Care, I have decided to retire and also sell the business.”
Herrera, 70, decided to call it quits because of his age and his health is not perfect. He plans on selling the business and moving to Orange County, in Southern California, with his son, David.
He wants to spend his retirement with his children and grandchildren.
Despite a family history of barbers, the line will end with his son. The reason Herrera is selling the Nob Hill Hair Care is due to the fact that none of his grandchildren want to continue the business.
“I asked if they would like to get into this trade, and only my son wanted to. None of his children wanted to,” he said.
Though he is leaving this city, he says that his heart will never leave it.
“I may have spent some time in Mexico, but Morgan Hill is deep in my heart. I am a U.S. citizen so I feel free to live in other states, but I wouldn’t exchange for Morgan Hill.”
“After so many years I feel like Morgan Hill is my hometown. I wasn’t born here, but I like Morgan Hill. If I ever die, I want to be buried here,” he said.
He catered to everyone. He would cut the hair of men, women and children.
Herrera has been in the business so long that in some cases, a child that he gave a hair cut to years ago, will bring his, or her, child in for a haircut.
“We have served multi-generations here,” said Herrera’s son, David who helps his father at the shop. “There’s definitely a lot of history here.”
Herrera loves his work. He says that on an exorbitant number occasions he loses track of time. He says that he loves his job and it is always interesting. This could bring problems, though.
“One night, my wife called me on the phone,” he laughed. “‘Look at the time!’ she screamed. ‘Would you like me to bring you a bed so you can sleep there?’
“When I’m working here, I have no idea about the time.”
He came to California in 1965, where he moved to San Jose. He got a job and went to school to get his barber’s license.
“Instead of going through the whole program, a 1600 hours of schooling, I only had to go for four weeks. It was a brush up course.”
In 1968 he moved to Morgan Hill after attending the Summer Olympics in Mexico City. He found a job at the Nob Hill Barbershop and worked there under then owner Joe Cassara.
“I had relationships with American people in Mexico,” said Herrera about why he moved to Morgan Hill. “I noticed they were so nice, and I wanted to live here. I didn’t come especially to make money and go back. I came to live here.”
Herrera has known many of the well known people in Morgan Hill. He gave hair cuts to Mike and John Bonfante, founders of the Nob Hill Foods grocery chain. They were not only customers, but friends.
“I’ve made hundreds of friends. Most are good friends and good neighbors. I’m going out with good memories of my experience.”
When he moved to Morgan Hill, the area was completely different.
“One time I remember, I sent a letter to my Dad and tried to describe, geographically, Morgan Hill. I said, in that letter, in this town, we have only three traffic lights.”
“It used to be a small town, but now it’s losing that nickname, small town. It’s the City of Morgan Hill.”
Herrera was born in Mexico City in November of 1932 to a family full of barbers.
“I’ve got hair in my blood.” Not only was Herrera’s father a barber, but also his two brothers are also barbers. “Before I moved here, I owned my own business in Mexico.” The family of barbers got the young blood involved in the business at the age of 16.
Herrera has been very willing to help those who are trying to become barbers. He spoke about two men, one in Monterey, one in town, whom he helped receive their licenses through apprenticeship.
An apprenticeship is an opportunity to learn the trade. An apprentice is in the process of receiving a license for what ever field he, or she, may be training for.
In 1972, Herrera was cutting the hair of then assistant superintendent of Morgan Hill Unified School District, Paul Rickert. Herrera joked that the day was slow, and he was looking for another job.
Rickert, at the end of the hair cut, offered Herrera an opportunity to go down to the district office and fill out an application. He filled one out and received one of three positions in the district.
Herrera started out as a bus driver, then moved on to maintenance. He later got a job as a night custodian for the schools.
The whole time he was working for the MHUSD he kept his job as a barber for Joe Cassara, working 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
But then Cassara retired and left the business to Herrera. This forced him to quit the job at MHUSD, but the district left the position open for a year just in case that he decided to return.
In 1989 Herrera was working in the evening when the infamous Loma Prieta earthquake hit. He was with a customer, who ran out the door wearing the shirt tie that Herrera had placed on him for the hair cut. The earthquake broke the windows and knocked all the supplies off the shelves.
“I saw the cars in the parking lot. They looked like they were on water,” he said.
After the earthquake, Herrera wasn’t quite the same. His health began to fail, but he hung on for an additional 14 years. Now he says it is time to put the scissors down and move on.
“It has been an interesting journey in my life: I have seen the good as well as the bad as they say in my business world,” says Herrera
“I would like to take this opportunity to publicly express my gratitude for letting me serve you in your hair needs.”
The future for Morgan Hill’s long lasting barber is that of relaxation spent with his family.
