By Victor Vigas Alvarez
The buzz of hair clippers and the snip-snip of scissors giving new hairstyles fill the air at the Westgate Barber Shop, but come July 31, the shop will be closing its doors as part of a broader shut down of the Westgate Shopping Centre.
The local barbershop opened its doors in 1955. Owner Ramon Carballude, 85, has been with the shop since 1968. He and his wife took full ownership of the business in 2000.
While hair styles have come and gone, the need for a quick snip will always be there. What’s also changed: the cost of a haircut. Carballude said that when he became the owner, a fresh trim cost only $1.75.
In an interview with the Kitchissippi Times, Carballude, who moved to Canada from Spain in 1965, said he worked a few jobs before returning to the trade he first learned in his home country.
It’s hard to know exactly how many haircuts Carballude has given but it would be in the tens of thousands. On a Thursday afternoon when KT stopped by, there were many regulars and some new business in the crowded shop
“It’s not just people from around here who come. Some people drive an hour. They come from Carleton Place and other small towns,” he said. “We have some clients from Vancouver. They come at least three or four times a year. What do they come for? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we treat each other well.”
Carballude said that having a loyal clientele has been an “honour and a joy” for him.
Sian Clark, whose husband usually cuts her kids’ hair, said she brought her son in for a trim at the Westgate Barber where her brother, father, and grandfather all went.
When asked what the shop has meant for him, Carballude said it’s given him the good fortune of meeting good people and paying the bills. “What more could you want?” he joked.
Carballude doesn’t plan to turn off the light on his barber pole just yet. A new barbershop will open just down the road at 1572 Carling Ave. Hoang Vo, who has worked at the barbershop for 27 years, is taking over the business and said Carballude will stay on without the pressures of being the owner this time around.
When Carballude isn’t cutting hair, he will be spending his semi-retirement fishing, vegetable gardening, and wine making. He also intends to vacation in northern Spain where he owns a house.
Westgate Mall is finally being demolished
RioCan, which owns the Westgate Shopping Centre, is in the works of redeveloping the site of Ottawa’s first mall. Original plans called for six towers at the site. The first 24-storey building was built on the corner of Carling Avenue and Merivale Road where the Monkey Joe’s restaurant used to be located.
Phase 2 of the project was supposed to see the Shoppers Drug Mart come down with the mall remaining, but those plans changed when the pharmacy didn’t move as planned into the new apartment ground-floor retail space.
In an emailed statement, River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington said that all tenants of the Westgate Shopping Centre have been told to vacate by Oct. 31 2025.
He also confirmed the building will be demolished, but that its timeline remains unknown. Shoppers Drug Mart will remain standing.
It’s also believed the residential component of the site has been reduced, with a new grocery store being built once the aging mall comes down. It will serve the surge of new residents moving into the area, including at the Talisman Apartments across the street. City council has approved plans for 24 towers to be built between Merivale Road and Clyde Avenne, which will create housing for about 9,000 new residents.
Kitchissippi Times reached out to RioCan for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
It’s unclear where all existing tenants of the mall will go, but Trillium Dental has a sign on its door saying it will open a new office at the Rhythm Apartments located on the Westgate grounds Oct. 31. Both Carducci’s Shoes and Satchels Luggage have announced they are moving to 1337 Wellington Street West near Ross Avenue.
Capital City Dance has already moved to its new location at 74 Jamie Avenue in Nepean.
Brendon Banville, the owner of Superior Photo, has decided to retire after owning the business since 1986. With only one part-time employee, moving would mean 10 hour days, which the 65-year-old decided not to pursue. Across the almost vacant mall strip, Linda Wang from European Fine Tailoring said she also plans not to reopen after being in business for 18 years. Instead she intends to keep seeing some of her regular clients while operating out of her home.