Carl Hammer doesn’t take call-ahead appointments.
In fact, Carl’s Barber Shop, one of the last remaining small businesses in Portage, doesn’t have a phone.

Sixty years of business taught Hammer’s customers to just walk in.
After all, Hammer, 79, considers his customers family, and family never has to call ahead.
"And I’m part of their family," Hammer said. "I ask how they’re feeling and they ask how
I’m feeling."
He tells them the truth – he’s feeling great. When he turned 70, Hammer went into
"semi-retirement." He’s now only open Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
"I enjoy it now more than I ever did," Hammer said. "I cut because I want to, not because
I have to."
Hammer and his wife, Sonja, had the existing barber shop built in 1959 after establishing a solid
customer base in the area.
Five kids, 16 grandkids and countless cuts later, not much has changed.
"I take my time with it," he said. "If it takes me a half-hour, so what?"
Customers seem to enjoy that personal touch.
Folks from Fostoria and one from as far as Michigan stop by Hammer’s for their haircuts.
"That’s what I’d miss the most – the people," he said. "I appreciate their business and
their community. I appreciate all they do for me."
He won’t have to miss them. After officially celebrating his 60th anniversary April 20, Hammer has no
plans to enter into full retirement.

"Everybody knows him. Everybody," Sonja Hammer said. "Nobody is a stranger. He’s always
talking to people."
Talking to the people is not only good for business – it’s also therapeutic.
Carl Hammer was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years ago.
Something about cutting hair keeps him from shaking.
"The doctors say his focus keeps him going," Sonja Hammer said. "It’s absolutely amazing –
especially when he does a flat top."
It seems to be working. Hammer rarely misses a day of work.
And he’s usually late coming home to his wife at the end of the day.
"It’ll be after 8, and I’ll start to look for him," she said. "He’d come in and say ‘so
and so came in and I got done cutting his hair and we just got to talking.’"
After 58 years of marriage, Sonja Hammer doesn’t mind the wait. She knows her husband loves his job.
To celebrate that fact and his 60th anniversary in the business, the couple’s children are hosting an
open house this Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Village Hall in Portage, 110 W. Walnut St. Friends and
customers are welcome.
"He’s doesn’t know about everything yet, so he’s going to read it in this article," she said.
"I hope a lot of customers come. They’ve been a part of his life."
So much so that Carl Hammer uses the same technique with every haircut he does.
"This is how I do it," he said. "I cut until he’s handsome, and then I stop."