PinThe Cadillac of Kokens, the terminalpin 14heart 2Pin$$$AVAIL CHAIRS$$$$$ :-) pin 13heart 3PinAntique BarberVintage BarberBarber ToysSalons BarberBarber ChairsHair SalonFollowRestorationHairForwardTheo A Kochs RestorationSee Morepin 7PinEmil j Paidarpin 7heart 1PinAvailable for salepin 7heart 3PinDouble round kochspin 7heart 1PinBarbershop KidsBarbershop DreamzChair BarbershopVintage BarbershopBarbershop EquipmentKiddo S VintageVintage SzalonPremier BarberChild S BarberForwardkid's chair - Barbershop in Trastevere, RomeSee Morepin 6heart 1PinBefore & Afterpin 6heart 1PinThe Barber Shop,Antique Barber,Barbershop Design,Barber Chairs,Furniture Ideaspin 6heart 1 A barber chair in a recreation of J. N. Hooper's Barber Shop (Seattle, WA circa 1880s) at the Museum of History and Industry A barber chair is a chair for customers to a barber or hairdresser. The chairs usually have adjustable height (with a foot-operated jack or a hand-operated lever on the side). It can also rotate, or lean backwards (for hairwashing and shaving).
They are normally made from metal and leather and are usually rather heavy. On the low end for cheaper barber chairs, the cost can be around $500, whereas higher-end barber chairs with more advanced features like adjustable headrests and leg rests, reclining capabilities and more sturdy building materials typically cost up to $2500. In 2015, barber chairs being used as decoration in a restaurant in Phoenix. Barber chairs in engravings from the Civil War era share many features with modern chairs, including high seating, upholstery, and a footrest.[1] The first factory-manufactured chairs date to around 1850.[1] The first one-piece reclining barber chair with an attached footrest was patented in 1878[2] by the Archer Company of Saint Louis.[3] Archer quickly followed it with a chair that raised and lowered mechanically. Eugene Berninghaus of Cincinnati improved on Archer's design with the first reclining and revolving chair, the Paragon.[1] Theodore Koch of Chicago incorporated all of these innovations into his chairs, selling more than 35,000 chairs in the period before 1885.
In 1897, Samuel Kline (of the Kline Chair Company)[4][5] patented a chair[6] and filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Theodore Koch in 1905 (but was overturned).[7] In 1904, Kline filed a patent for an "adjustable chair" which was granted in 1907. Barack Obama's bulletproof glass-encased barber chair at Hyde Park Hair Salon in Chicago In 1900, Ernest Koken, a German immigrant, created a hydraulic-operated chair and also patented the "joystick" side lever, which allowed a barber to control all the mechanical functions. In the late 1950s, US-based barber chair manufactures sold about 10,000 chairs a year to the 100,000 barber shops.[9] Chicago-based Emil J. Paidar Company was a leading manufacturer of barber chairs in the late 1950s (Belmont and American Barber Chair Company from 1948 to 1956 whose chairs were spinoffs of the Koken chair).[] Starting in 1957, Belmont joined Osaka,[] Japan's Takara Belmont Company began importing almost exact duplicates of Paidar chairs—at 20%-30% less cost.
[9] In June 1969 Takara purchased the Koken Barber Chair building and production equipment in St. Louis Mo and in 1970 they purchased the Koken name, trademarks and patents this purchase was the main reason that by 1970, Takara had 70% of the US market, beating out Paidar who once held the same amount. One-chair or single-chair barbershops are small, usually independent, barbershops that have only one barber chair available to customers. This is an older tradition in the barbering business that is slowly fading out as the last generation of barbers begins to retire and few younger barbers step up to fill the roles. One-chair barbershops serve one customer at a time and provide a one-on-one barber experience, whereas multi-chair barbershops serve many clients at once and get clients in and out faster, so they can make more money by serving more clients concurrently. Some salons have also incorporated the single-chair barbershop model into their businesses. ^ a b c d e f Do bald men get half-price haircuts?: in search of Americas' great barbershops, Vince Staten, Simon & Schuster, 2001, p. 95, 176pp, ISBN 978-0-684-86745-8 (retrieved 16 August 2010 from Google Books)
^ 1873 according to patent #D6648, DESIGN FOR BARBERS AND DENTISTS CHAIRS, George W. and Robert W. Archer, issued 13 May 1873 (retrieved 17 August 2010 at Google Patents) ^ a b Where Men Hide, James B. Twitchell, Ken Ross; Columbia University Press, 2008, pp. 110-1, 248pp, ISBN 978-0-231-13735-5 (retrieved 16 August 2010 from Google Books) ^ Advertisement, The Barbers' Journal, Volumes 13, Number 1, Journeymen Barbers' International Union of America, January 1902 (retrieved 2 September 2010 from Google Books) ^ Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey, Volume 1, Francis Bazley Lee (editor), Lewis Publishing Company, 1907, p. 292-3 (retrieved 2 September 2010 from Google Books) ^ Design for a chair, Samuel Kline, patent #D26623, filed 20 October 1896, granted 9 February 1897 ^ Kline Chair Co. v. Theo. A Kochs & Son et al., The Federal Reporter: Cases argued and determined in the circuit and district courts of the United States, Volume 138, West Publishing Company, 1905 (retrieved 2 September 2010 from Google Books)>
^ Adjustable chair, Samuel Kline, patent #862565, filed 20 July 1904, granted 6 August 1907 ^ a b c Japan: The Great Barber-Chair Coup, Time, 10 August 1970 (retrieved 17 August 2010) ^ History of the One-Chair BarbershopA Brief Lesson On Barber Chairs To understand why collectors value antique barber chairs, let’s journey into the origin of barber chairs. Believe it or not, they existed way, way back to the time before Christ in 296 Rome. Barber shops were places of chit chat long before the advent of the telegram, radio or the Internet.Barber shops also took the place of clinics. Back when the medical profession wasn’t as advanced as it is today, the folks who performed surgery or plucked teeth were called barbers. These professionals would set up shop by putting a barber pole outside the establishment. They’re not exactly the ones we see today with red, white and blue stripes. Back then, they were real poles with bandages, blood and wooden sticks. In fact, red represents blood while white stands for the bandage.
Blue was later added to signify the veins. The pole was used to boost bloodstream circulation. At the center of it all was the barber chair. It provided the compartments and holding pockets for the barber while giving the level of comfort that the patient deserves.Fast forward to the 1800’s, and the barber supply industry was booming in the United States. Barbers were exclusively cutting hair by then. Among the earliest manufacturers were Archer Company, Eugene Berninghaus and Theo A. Kochs. The ones that followed were revolutionary, such as Koken Barber’s Supply and Emil J. Paidar.Koken Barber’s Supply Company was founded by Ernest Koken in the late 1800’s. He came from Germany, but his family moved to the United States to seek greener pasture. While working in a factory, he made prototypes for a barber chair in his spare time. The result was a revolutionary hydraulic-powered chair which he patented in the 1890’s. It was the first of its kind at the time. Ernest died less than two decades later, but his son inherited the business immediately following his death.
Aside from barber chairs, the company also produced other supplies like razors, brushes, mirrors and cabinets.Emil J. Paidar was leading the industry during the time when Koken was in close competition with the company. Both companies manufactured top quality barber chairs. The difference was in the technology used. Regardless, they had their own loyal following. Paidar also produced a wide range of barber equipment and supplies.Both companies have gone bankrupt, and Koken was ultimately bought by Takara Belmont. However, their legacy lives on through the design and technology that we see in modern barber chairs. Barber Chairs for Sale If you’re looking for barber chairs for sale, you can find a number of them in auction houses, pawn shops and restoration shops across the United States. There are also several being sold online. Regardless of the mode of shopping you prefer, you’ll find that most of the antique barber chairs being offered for sale are from the following manufacturers:Koken Barber’s Supply CompanyEmil J. Paidar CompanyTakara Belmont USATheo A. Kochs CompanyMost of the manufacturers above came from the early 1900’s.
If there was such an event as the “Golden Age of Barber Chairs,” then that era would be it. It was a time when innovation, new technology, superior craftsmanship and competition for market share in barber supplies were at their best. The barber chairs for sale that you can find at that time were of the highest quality. Back then, there were hardly any machines that would produce parts in massive amounts. As a result, each of the chairs that went out of the factory had been worked on by hand.Koken barber chairs are arguably the best among the bunch. The early 1900’s model had a hydraulic lift, which is the first of its kind at the time. The man behind this technology was Ernest Koken, a German citizen who’s family immigrated to the United States in the mid 1800’s. By the end of the century, he already patented his technology and went on to form Koken Barber’s Supply in St. Louis, Missouri. It was a highly coveted brand. Unfortunately, the company stopped producing barber supplies and then went under in the 1950’s.
It was consequently bought out by Takara Belmont. Because of this, the antique Koken barber chairs being sold today cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.The Emil J. Paidar Company had a long rivalry with Koken. Even though Paidar barber chairs lacked technological prowess, they excelled in design and efficiency nonetheless. For this reason the company’s products were often copied. Competition with Koken was tough until World War II came. Now that the war broke out, the company struggled even more. It survived by temporarily shifting the business to producing cartridge cases and other war supplies. Emil J. Paidar was able to recover after the war but eventually went down when Takara took over the industry in the late 60’s. Paidar barber chairs for sale today also cost almost the same as the Kokens.Belmont barber chairs originated in pre-World War II Japan. Takara Belmont still exists today and is the leading producer of dental and barber equipment in the world. In 2011, it released it’s Koken legacy barber chairs inspired by the designs from the 1900’s but equipped with modern day technology.
The Belmont chairs of the 50’s weren’t as groundbreaking as the Kokens or the Paidars. Belmont barber chairs for sale don’t cost as much either, but they serve as a reminder of the changing times and how the Takara Belmont brand was able to dominate the market.Kochs barber chairs are among the first in America. Founded in 1871, the Chicago-based Theo A. Kochs Company made barber chairs based on the technologies of Berninghaus and Archer Company. Kochs barber chairs sold very well at that time. Although not as innovative as Koken or as functional as Paidar, Kochs barber chairs for sale today are quite a few. History of Belmont Barber Chairs Belmont barber chairs first appeared in the 1930’s in Japan. At that time, the manufacturer was called Takara Chuzo Ltd. which was founded by Hidenobu Yoshikawa. The 1950’s marked Takara’s entry into the world market by establishing a subsidiary in the United States. It brought about the creation of Takara Company NY Inc., then it eventually became Takara Belmont USA, Inc.
In the same decade, the company released it’s first hydraulic barber chair. In the 60’s, Takara rapidly expanded into Europe by teaming up with Wella. By then, it sold dental and cosmetic products as well.When Takara entered the barber supply market in the United States, there were already several established manufacturers that dominated the industry, such as Koken and Emil J. Paidar. The company basically started with no share of the market. However, Takara had the upper hand because of its capability in mass production and access to less expensive suppliers.Both industry leaders were caught by surprise when Takara released its Belmont barber chairs in the US market. They were cheaper and almost had the same quality as the more costly Koken or Paidar barber chair. Ultimately, it made more sense for barber shops to make the switch. Along with the changing times was a new kind of lifestyle that made the British rock band famous. This new trend made way for the emergence of men with longer hair.