SAUGUS — George’s Barber Shop is a pillar of the town and Mike Moriello has been working there for nearly 30 years.
Moriello said that when he first became a barber at the age of 18, he was nervous that he would eventually become bored with the profession. He said that isn’t the case, thanks to all the great people that come into the shop.
The Saugus resident is a fourth-generation barber at the shop, and has lived his entire life in the town. 2021 was a really difficult year — due to the financial struggles that came from the shop being shut down for more than three months. Moriello said that, even when George’s opened up again, the business had lost its heartbeat.
“Over the years it has really become a meeting place for the town, and kind of the hub of the community,” he said. “(It’s) a place to hang around people and be around people and talk to people, and that’s exactly what they told us not to do during COVID. So it took the heart of the barbershop away. Even when we were allowed to reopen, our waiting room was closed and we had a lot of restrictions. It really took away what I love most about being a barber.”
A fixture in the community, Moriello has been named Essex Media Group’s “Person of the Year” for Saugus.
Moriello is proud to work at the local landmark, which has been in business for nearly 120 years. He said that some people come in simply to say hello. With that comes clientele (which Moriello considers more like friends) who have been going to the shop for multiple generations.
“You give them their first haircut when they are a baby, and then you give them a haircut when they start kindergarten, and then you give them a haircut when they go to their first prom, and then their graduation haircut, and then you give them their wedding haircut,” he said. “It’s so much more than just a customer that comes in. Each haircut, you have a conversation about these big times in their lives.”
Moriello said that George’s longevity is what makes the space special compared to other shops.
“You are not going to drive from Wilmington all the way to some barbershop in Saugus that just opened a couple of years ago, but people do it for us because we are a little more special; and they grew up coming here and now they want to bring their kids here,” he said.
Moriello said that it makes him feel old seeing the clients to whom he gave their first haircut bring in their own children for their first haircut.
Moriello has also made an effort to be a part of the community in Saugus. That was an important message that was stressed by his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father.
“It’s all about the community and we are lucky enough to be in business for all these years, (so) we like to give back to those who have supported us all this time,” he said.
The barber believes that being a small town is what makes Saugus great. He still hears stories about his grandfather from old-timers who come into the shop.
“Everybody knows each other,” Moriello said. “When something bad happens, there’s so much support. I lived here my whole entire life and there’s no place like it. There’s no place I would rather be. In my opinion, it’s the best community around.”
