Who's Who: Larry Parks, Owner of Larry Parks Ltd.

Name: Larry Parks

Age: 68

Occupation: Owner of Larry Parks Ltd., a hair salon on Fairmount Avenue in El Cerrito

Tell me a little bit about your history in this area of El Cerrito. I started working in the El Cerrito area in 1962. I was not quite 20 years old when I started working here. I worked for several salons in town that are no longer in business for five years. I opened my business at 7512 Fairmont, which is right next door where the flower shop is. That was in the days of great big oversize do’s (laughs). In ’72, haircutting became increasingly important in our industry; it was kind of a revolution into the Sassoon haircutting style. I spent a month in London retraining, learning to do geometric haircuts and more precision haircutting, because in the days of (the) bouffant, we cut with a razor and backcombed it into a huge mass. We were working more as sculptors than we were as hairdressers.

I came back and continued my business here. I was at 7512 Fairmount from 1967 to 1981, at which time I moved to the El Cerrito Plaza. At the time it was kind of a defunct shopping center, but it was great for us because it gave us wonderful parking and a nice space. I was there until the Plaza was sold in 2000. We moved back to this space, 7508 Fairmount, right next to where I started. It was kind of a full circle. I’ve been here ever since.

Do you also do wig-making? I don’t make wigs: I sell wigs. I’m on the referral list for the Cancer Society at Herrick, for Alta Bates Summit Medical. They refer clients to me who want wigs and I help them. And I do wigs for theatrical production, which is fun.

And you do straight-forward haircutting as well? I do. I have clients that are eight years old to well past 80.

Do you have clients who have been coming to you since the beginning? Yes, I do. In fact, the client who has been with me the longest is one year younger than I am, and she started with me right out of high school. She is disabled; she had polio as a child so it’s hard for her to do her hair. I see her on a weekly basis. A lot of my clients have been with me for so long that when they come in it’s really more like an extended family than it is a business. You really get involved in your clients’ lives.

You become a therapist of sorts. A therapist-slash-hairdresser, but it also demands the same trust that you have in a therapist. Your client has to trust that everything you say is and remains private. That trust is almost like talking to your rabbi or your priest. It doesn’t go any further. That’s a very important thing in our industry.

Outside of hair, what do you do for fun? I’m an exercise buff. I hit the gym every morning. It’s my “centering” place. When I do my exercise in the morning, I am centered for the entire day. Other than that I love theatre, museums and art. We live in a very exciting, rich area: rich from the point of view that we have so much to do. There’s often not enough time or money to do everything that’s available.

Is there anything else you want to add about El Cerrito? I’ve been very, very happy here. My business has always treated me very well. My clients are very, very good to me — probably better than I deserve sometimes. I can only say that my life in El Cerrito has been a wonderful, wonderful ride.