Dan Levitt: A Kerrisdale barber’s common-sense guide to living a long, happy life
Credit to Author: Hardip Johal| Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 21:00:44 +0000
Holding a pair of silver shears in one hand and a black comb in the other, Dino Arvanitis has been cutting men’s hair for over 50 years. Today, at 75 years of age, he has no plans to retire.
For the past 40 years Dino has been working at Economy Barber Shop in Vancouver’s Kerrisdale neighbourhood. He recently announced he has sold his beloved business, where he will continue to work part time.
The classic barber shop is adorned with five vintage leather barber chairs and has become an institution in Kerrisdale. Upon entering, customers are greeted by Dino from chair number one, closest to the window, inviting them to take a seat and read the daily newspaper or watch the soccer match on the television while they wait their turn. A steady stream of passerbys wave and stop in to say hello to Dino throughout the day.
There is much to be learned from Dino’s approach to life.
He purchased Economy Barber Shop in 1979. Back then the price for a haircut was an affordable $3.50, and four decades later the cost has increased to a reasonable $18. Thanks to his loyal customer base, Dino can afford to retire, if he wanted to, based on a lifetime of his own wealthy barber approach to money management. As a sensible investor, his motto is to save and invest money for a rainy day.
His life’s purpose are his customers, who have included politicians, doctors, judges, the 2010 Canadian Olympic men’s curling team, professional athletes and many famous people he knows more as friendly persons rather than for their career status or personal accomplishments.
He has cut hair in some families for five generations. Many are adults who first came as young children, sitting boosted on an elevated seat fixed on top of the standard barber chair. It is this connection that keeps Dino coming to work six days a week. Customers become friends. From childhood to adulthood to elder-hood, they have grown together.
As an immigrant from Greece to Canada, his story is the Canadian dream. He was welcomed by the Greek community in Vancouver and had a number of hospitality jobs and eventually secured a chair at a barber shop.
Dino Arvanitis has cut hair in some families for five generations at his Kerrisdale barber shop. Many are adults who first came as young children, sitting boosted on an elevated seat fixed on top of the standard barber chair.
One day on the way to work, he befriended a young woman on the Broadway bus line and by coincidence the two met again in an English as a second language class at Kitsilano secondary school. As it turned out, she was also from Greece. Not long after, they were married and a few years later they purchased a home where they raised a family and continue to live.
Finding a partner with good genes often means couples experience longevity together. Dino’s parents lived to an old age — his dad to 88 and his mom to 97. While your own genetics are not something you can influence, a number of other lifestyle choice contribute to healthy aging.
As a teenager, Dino developed a green thumb working in the family orchard in Greece, where they produced wine, raisins and olives. He continues the tradition of growing his own Mediterranean vegetables and fruit in his garden. He is known to share his heirloom tomatoes with his customers. His garden includes a large rosemary shrub and even a lemon and olive tree that he brings indoors for the winter.
Gardening has become not only a lifelong pastime but provides dietary staples. While he has a bottle of Ouzo in the cabinet, he seldom drinks alcohol and prefers retsina wine. As Dino describes his diet, he eats a little bit of everything, including the occasional lamb, goat and other red meat as well as more eclectic Canadian food.
Another of Dino’s lifelong habits is moderate regular physical activity. He exercises with a brisk 30-minute walk every morning in advance of opening up his barber shop at 8 a.m. He continues to ride his bike to and from work on the hilly Arbutus greenway during the warmer months.
As a septuagenarian, Dino is experiencing healthy aging by maintaining functional ability that enables well-being in older age. Meeting your own basic needs; learning, growing, making decisions; being mobile; maintaining relationships and contributing to society — all are factors that lead to a long and healthy life. The community older adults choose to live in affects their ability to access quality health and social care and the opportunities that aging brings.
In the words of the healthy barber, Dino’s life philosophy is a simple Greek motto: “Whatever you do, don’t overdo it.”
Dino’s advice was heeded by my great-grandfather Abe, who lived into his 90s. That advice was passed on to to his now 50-year-old great grandson, a fourth-generation customer of the barber in chair number one at Economy Barber.
So the next time you are seeking a common-sense guide to happiness, health and longevity, just ask your hairstylist or barber. You might be surprised what you learn.
Dan Levitt is executive director of the Tabor Village elder care community in Abbotsford. He is also an adjunct professor of gerontology at Simon Fraser University, an adjunct professor of nursing at the University of B.C., and a sessional health sciences instructor at the B.C. Institute of Technology.
CLICK HERE to report a typo.
Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com.