Sal Valentino had a certain fondness for the number
”
5
”
more than two decades ago when he opened his haircut business.
His son was 5 years old at the time. He was opening five stores,
including the location in Hollister off Tres Pinos Road. And he
planned to charge a modest fee, of five bucks. The regional chain’s
name, consequently, came naturally. Haircut 5 was born. Valentino’s
fascination with the number came full circle last Saturday, when
the business celebrated its 500,000th haircut.
Sal Valentino had a certain fondness for the number “5” more than two decades ago when he opened his haircut business.
His son was 5 years old at the time. He was opening five stores, including the location in Hollister off Tres Pinos Road. And he planned to charge a modest fee, of five bucks. The regional chain’s name, consequently, came naturally.
Haircut 5 was born.
Valentino’s fascination with the number came full circle last Saturday, when the business celebrated its 500,000th haircut in Hollister. That’s nearly 23,000 cuts a year, or more than 60 per day. It’s enough excess hair – considering the average trim is one inch – to circle the world about 90 times, according to Valentino’s proud estimate.
He explained how he started using a numbered ticket system days after opening the Hollister store 22 years ago. Valentino has celebrated every 100,000 customers by awarding each winner with a card for a lifetime supply of free cuts, and showed a half-cylindrical glass encasing that displays each of the fortune-baring cards. He held up the golden ticket for Saturday’s winner. It read, “500,000th Customer” and under that “Free Haircuts for Life”.
“I didn’t know if I was going to live that long,” said Valentino, age 67, welling up on the emotional day, “but I did.”
Hollister has become his focus over the years after he sold the other four Haircut 5 stores. The 500,000 cuts, meanwhile, apply just to the local location, he said. As the milestone approached last weekend, Valentino, dressed casually in a long-sleeve shirt, sweat pants and webbed sandal shoes, commented on the incoming customers who were arriving just before the big giveaway. He showed off the ticket stack as it approached the number.
“There’s a twist on every event,” he said, seated by the storefront. “Next one in the door. It could be an infant. It could be an old man.”
Finally, the unknowing winner walked through the door. As she casually strolled in and toward the front desk to sign her ticket, he asked the usual, “How are you doing?”
“Fine, thanks,” she replied.
At that point, the business’ phone rang. Valentino picked it up and had a brief conversation as the customer turned and walked to the waiting area.
He got off and turned to her.
“I wanted to tell you – you’re our 500,000th haircut,” he announced.
“No way, really?” said the resident, Ronna Gilani. “That’s the coolest thing that’s happened.”
After Valentino proclaimed “We have a winner!”, the employees who were working many of the nine haircut stations cheered.
See the full story in the Pinnacle on Friday.
