Date opened: In 2005, by sisters Pamela Sanders and Michelle Fitzsimmons. The shop moved in 2007 from its original location farther north on Dayton Boulevard to its current spot at 4105 Dayton Blvd., Suite A, across from Subway.
Background: The Ringgold, Georgia, natives both have 35 years' experience in the barber industry. Fitzsimmons worked at Town & Country Barber Shop & Salon in North Chattanooga for nine years before moving to White Oak Barber Shop, where Sanders joined her as an employee after working as a barber for 13 years at a U.S. Air Force base.
Red Bank Barber Shop owner Pamela Sanders gives 18-month-old Tripp Garrett his first haircut.When they decided to open their own shop, they chose Red Bank to be close to their existing customers, said Sanders. "It's a beautiful small-town atmosphere," she added. "There's hardly any crime here." The sisters ran the shop together until last December, when Fitzsimmons, who has Alzheimer's, retired. Sanders is now joined by part-time employees Brian Blaylock and Eugene Ward, a former customer and retired principal of Chattanooga Valley Middle School in Walker County, Georgia.
What it offers: "We're what you call a real man's barber shop," Sanders said. A former military barber, she naturally does a great high-and-tight, as well as hot-towel shaves with a straight razor for face and neck. The shop also offers cuts for women and children.
What makes it unique: The shop boasts a collection of more than 400 hats, all gifts from customers and former customers, Sanders said. The collection includes hats from the Korean War and World War II and from countries all over the world.
What keeps customers coming back: "We don't charge a real high price," said Sanders, adding "We treat everybody like family." She now has some of the same customers whose fathers brought them in as little boys bringing their own children - along with their fathers - back for cuts, she said.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.
A collection of 400-plus hats, all gifts from customers, lines the ceiling of Red Bank Barber Shop.