Mas

larger view

Snip-snap go the shears in a room with two barber chairs for clients needing a snazzy haircut.

Tic-tap goes the calculator in another room with chairs for clients needing a completed tax return.

At the command of both operations is Bacio “Sal” Salazar, owner and operator of Salazar’s Barber Shop on the corner of Beale Avenue and Niles Street, and Salazar’s Tax Service, located just next door.

A humble man with a friendly, lighthearted personality, Salazar is right at home in a T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes as he cuts hair steadily. Like many old-school barbers, Salazar, 63, routinely talks to his customers while trimming their tresses.

“Being a barber is the best job. I get to be my own boss,” he said. “I get to talk to different people and listen to their problems. Many times you hear people’s confessions or resolutions while you’re cutting their hair.”

Salazar, who’s been a barber since he was in his teens, probably has heard his share of tasty chismes, all of which he says he can’t repeat. Those trusted conversations and his talent with the barber shears, electric shaver and tax know-how have kept this hombre in business times two.

Not only does he like working with hair, but Salazar finds joy working with numbers, too.

Many of his barber clients come in to have their taxes prepared in the room next to the barber shop.

Salazar has a degree in business from Cal State Bakersfield. In fact, he was part of the first graduating class in 1972. He said his degree gave him a sense of accomplishment since he was one of the first few Hispanics to graduate from CSUB.

Originally, Salazar offered tax preparations services along with his cousin and another colleague, but later, they separated amicably.

“They left to do their own thing, but we’re still family. My daughter planned to come and work for me, but she got married so that didn’t happen,” he said with a laugh. “I like doing taxes the old-fashioned way — with a pencil and a calculator. I like to do it slow, but efficiently, to make sure I get everything right and get your taxes done correctly.”

Since 1983, clients have been shuffling into the brick building with a wooden sign out front to get their hair cut by Sal, who got his start in the barber business after watching his father Bacio Sr., another barber. 

Salazar said practice makes perfect when it comes to cutting hair.

“I learned a lot by cutting hair and trying to do new things,” he said. “My favorite haircut is a regular haircut.”

Although Salazar likes to keep a low-key profile, he is a Vietnam War veteran. He also played an active role in keeping Heritage Park from being absorbed by Kern County’s Juvenile Hall.

“I was a product of the '60s, like the Brown Berets. I was very active for my community and politics,” he said. “I marched those marches. I got tired, so I had to focus on something else.”

After years of activism, Salazar changed gears, but kept his corazón de líder going. He began working with the youth in the community as one of the original supporters of the Police Activities League (PAL). He also participated in the Golden Empire Soccer Club and was on the board of directors and planning for the Kern County Soccer Park as well as the Boys and Girls Club.

Over the years, Salazar has coached his children’s high school sports teams, including soccer, basketball and baseball. He and his wife of 40 years, Lucy, have five children: Bacio III “Cowboy,” 36; Ricardo “Kiki,” 35; Gloria Cotter, 39; Christina Salazar, 25; and Freddy Salazar, 22.

All those years as a coach paid off for his son Kiki, who is now a referee for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

“You can say you want to keep your children out of trouble, but you have to put in the time and effort,” said Salazar. “I put the effort in and raised the kids while coaching them.”

And though this local businessman with the two hats — barber/tax man — puts in double the effort during this busy time of year — tax season — once things slow down, you can find Salazar at the Bakersfield Racquet Club.

“There, I am known as the living legend,” he said, dusting off his shirt. “Playing a game with the guys is a great stress reliever.”