Continental Barber Shop in Woodland California

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The barbershop. It really is one of the last places men can hang out and actually be men.

For instance, go to your local 'hair salon'. Look at all of the gleaming chrome and glass, listen to the carefully chosen music. Notice the wide assortment of hair products for sale. Sit and read the celebrity magazines (oh my, she did THAT with HIM?!?) Look at the huge pictures of airbrushed models showing off the latest hairstyle. It's clean, it's shiny, it's comfortable, and it's sterile.

Walk into a barbershop, and notice the difference. Women go to a salon to 'rejuvenate their soul' but men go to places that still have a soul. Places where the walls are covered with pictures of real people- friends and family- not models. Places where dogs can walk around and people greet them without worrying about fur or slobber. Places where a bag of home-made beef jerky is passed around for everyone to try. Places where the customers talk to each other instead of having their face stuck in a magazine, waiting for their 'treatment'.

Yes, the radio might go to static when the clippers turn on. And maybe the lock doesn't even work on the bathroom door. The linoleum might be out of style, and maybe the magazines are out of date.

But the soul is still there. The soul of the people, the soul of the community.

So let's take a tour. We're going to look around Continental Barbers. It's in Woodland on Elm Street, just South of Main. (And as an extra, just so you don't have to look it up, their number is 530-662-0418)

Sadly, I didn't talk to the guy on the left. But I talked to the other two, Pete is in the center, and Gallup on the right.

Continental has free coffee...and I even heard a rumor of free beer. So basically they've always got a waiting room full of guys, even if they aren't actually waiting to get their hair cut. The place turns into one giant bullshit session that never really ends.

About Continental, Pete told me, "If they ever close up I'm gonna sell my house and move out of town."

Plank and Gallup (Plank is in the Harvard Sweatshirt, Gallup is on the right)

While I was waiting for a haircut, these two guys were sitting down having some coffee. I figured they would be good guys to talk to, so I told them I was writing a story about the barbershop and I wanted to ask them some questions. It didn't take much to get them started.

InsideWoodland	So how long have you been coming here?
Plank	I used to go to Larry's (one of the barbers) dad before the war.
InsideWoodland	Which war?
Plank	World War II
InsideWoodland	How long have you lived here?
Plank	I was born here almost 80 years ago.
InsideWoodland	What's the biggest change you've seen in Woodland?
Plank	Too many people.
Gallup	Yeah, that's damn right.
Plank	Too many airheads runnin' things.
InsideWoodland	Like what?
Plank	They should just leave Conaway Ranch alone. Those guys are doin' a good job.
Gallup	I don't agree on Conaway. Dammit, I can't hunt there anymore. I used to hunt and fish there when I was a kid.
Plank	All ya gotta do is ask.
Gallup	Ask who?
Plank	Mike Wall. I know MIke Wall, he's a good guy. They (the county) should get their ass out of there I think. These guys farm it and make a decent living and pay property taxes, what's the problem with that?
Gallup	I don't believe that. I used to hunt there and fish. Now they done closed it down.
Plank	You just have to ask. Go ask them.
Gallup	I'm too old to hunt anyway.

Gonna rain tomorrow
That's what they say.
Supposed to rain hard.
Yeah.

I'll go to church tomorrow for my mom's sake.
You're mom's still alive?
No, but I figure she can keep a better eye on me now, so I should go.

Yeah, he used to cut my hair, now he just trims my sideburns and the back of my neck...and the hair in my nose and ears.
And he still charges me for a haircut.

I thought my dad grew up in Woodland.
He was like, "hell no, I grew up in Willow Oaks."
I said, "It's only a mile away."
He said, "Well it wasn't back then."

Continental Barbers is run by two guys, Bob Wademan and Larry Highfill.

They've known each other for a long time- since they were kids. That's them together in the picture to the left. They grew up, and started working with each other in 1968.

They're still at it.

Bob with one of his regular customers

Bob told this story, and swore it was true. After telling the story, this guy getting the haircut came in- the story was about him. He also swears it was true.

Bob- One of the guys who gets his haircut all the time was in our place gettin' his hair cut. He leaves when he is done, and couple of minutes later the phone rings.

It's a woman on the phone, she said her name is Judy and she wants to know if a guy just left our place and got into a white truck. I say, "Yeah, we just cut his hair."

She said she watched the guy leave, and she thinks he is really handsome, and wants to meet him. Can I give her his name and phone number. So, I figure I would.

So later on I ask him what happened, he said it went good, she was like Playboy material. I guess they went out for a while.

See, our haircuts are so good that women go crazy just seeing you.

When he's telling me the story, one of the guys waiting pipes up- "Hey, can you give me that same haircut?"

Bob- I can't make ice cream out of horse shit.

Larry cutting Craig's hair. Look behind them, near Larry's glasses.
That's a picture of Larry's uncle cutting hair a long time ago.

Larry had a steady patter of Woodland history, trivia, and jokes running while I was in the shop. Next to his chair were a few old photographs that he told me about. "That's me on the pony. See where I am? I used to drive a tractor there, but it's where Taco Bell and Sizzler are right now. My house was there at Taco Bell, and my barn was where Sizzler sits now."

One of Larry's Jokes:

Yeah one of my customers told me I had to switch things up with my sex life to make it more interesting.

I said like what?

He said maybe do it dog style.

So I figured I'd give it a try. Next time he came in he asked how it went-

I told him it was fine, but it took 5 or 6 drinks to get her out on the front lawn.

MItchell after his haircut.

Mitchell here came with his dad Craig. (Craig is getting his hair cut in the picture above) He had pretty long hair, covering his eyes. When I was a kid my hair never got that long. For one thing, it looked horrible- for another, my grandfather considered it a long-haired emergency when my ears were covered. A few times he even paid me to get my hair cut. I could have had a pretty decent side-job if only my hair would grow faster.

So I asked Mitchell what kind of cut he was going to get. (At this point my grandfathers only acceptable answer would have been to shave it all off.)

"I want to get my hair out of my eyes and my face" Mitchell said. His dad said, "just out of his eyes is fine. It's just hair, no big deal."

I asked how long it had been since his last haircut, he told me 3 months. "Too long!" said Bob.

Last question I had for him: What would you be doing if you weren't here right now? "Layin' in bed watching cartoons."

Ed has been coming to Continental since he was a kid

I talked to this guy- his name is Ed Marquez.

Ed- I grew up here in Woodland- I live in Sacramento now, but I keep coming back here.

Bob- we used to sit him in our little kids seat.

Ed- They used to be next to a candy store. My dad would take my brother and I for our haircut ritual. After the haircut we'd get a piece of candy.

InsideW- What kind?

Ed- Hmm..I don't remember what they're called. They were twisted, it was caramel with chocolate on the top. (I found out these were 'Marathon Bars')

Duck straps - $10.00

The shop itself is pretty much a standard barbershop. They've got two chairs, and a small sitting area with a TV (off) a radio (on) and stacks and stacks of magazines. And as far as I can tell, they have 3 main themes: Hunting, family/friends and women. The biggest emphasis is on hunting, but the shop has so much Woodland history you'd be amazed. Old pictures of people in town are all over the walls, drawings made by kindergartners (30 years ago) are hanging...and Bob can tell you who made them. Pictures and calendars of women are hung all throughout the place.

I was at the doctor a week ago Tuesday. I've got bladder cancer.
My brother had that.

You graduated in 56?
Yeah.
Well I was overseas that year protecting you.
Well thanks. If it weren't for you we'd all be Korean.

Since I started coming here I can't see.
No that's not from coming here, that's from playing with yourself.
I notice you have glasses on...

Being politically correct means being dishonest. And we're not dishonest.

Talk of Viagra was rampant. Supposedly there is a 'connection' in town that keeps everyone supplied.
I guess when you reach a certain age the talk changes from girls to pills. Oh well....

"We have one customer here...he knows it's going to be a good night
when he sits down to dinner and there's a Viagra next to his plate."

One of 3 trophies on the wall. The other two are deer.

They've got this bulletin board next to Larry's station. It's got pictures of fish, deer, turkeys and other animals people kill for sport. It's up there as a trophy board- giving people bragging rights.

Larry told me that a lot of kids come in and look at the pictures. The kids say, "Man, when I get my first buck, I'm going to have the picture up there."

I saw three dogs in Continental while I was there. They've got treats for the dogs and let them run around. You know a barbershop is a good place when they let dogs in. In fact, any place that guys hang out should let dogs in- I'd like to see more dogs around town. Larry says, "When we cut an ear off, they clean up the mess."

This dog was Pete's (blue sweatshirt), his name is Buck and he's 11 years old. He normally sits in the back of Pete's truck, but it started raining while I was there, so Pete went out and brought Buck in.

Buck has had a pretty active life, he's been hunting for years, and his age is starting to show. Pete says, "He's as deaf as a post- too much time around guns. And now I have to lift him in and out of the truck, but he's a good old dog.

Pete- "Dogs smell when they get wet you know.......Buck, you stink."

Buck wasn't the only dog I saw. Here you can see Dennis (in sweatshirt) and Frankie. Frankie also had a friend (another pug) named Porkchop that came in with him.

Poor Frankie couldn't catch a break though. I mean, he's a pug. He walks around sniffing and snorting everywhere- noisy and crazy looking.

One of the guys in the barbershop says about Frankie and Porkchop, "God damn those are ugly dogs....And you know what they say about dogs and owners looking alike."

I was looking around the barbershop when Larry told me about this picture.

Larry- You know who that is? That's Teri Hatcher! (From Lois & Clark and Desperate Housewives)

Well, I'll tell you how I got that picture. We had a customer who was a photographer, and he did professional football games. Well, he's getting ready to go to a game, and he asks if we want any pictures. I say hell yeah! He wants to know who I want a picture of and asks if I want Joe Montana.

I told him no way- I want the cheerleaders man! But we didn't know this was Teri Hatcher until years later, when she was on TV talking about being a cheerleader. Another customer says, "Hey- that's who that picture is!"

Look at the picture of the boy. That's the closest he'll ever get to Teri Hatcher.
The pig on the other hand, who knows, maybe he's got a shot.

"Well, ya know...umm....ahhh...ummm...Ahhh shit, I forgot what I was gonna say."

So that's it- the inside of a barbershop. Just a bunch of guys sitting around not doing a damn thing, while two other guys work. It's a little bit like a road crew, but indoors.

From: Molly - Date: 16-Apr-06

One of your best!

From: Debbie Kiesz - Date: 16-Apr-06

GREAT story! Felt just like I was there with Larry and the boys. Thanks!

From: Patricia - Date: 16-Apr-06

You were talking about salons and women gossiping and such. OH MY GOD! What have you just written about the barber shop. Much worse. And, the health department would love to hear about the dogs in the barber shop. I'm just kidding. Bobby Wademan is an old friend and I should go visit. Years and years ago he was my sister's boyfriend and I had such a crush. And judging by the pictures above, he is still sooooooo good looking. He gave my son his first haircut about 36 years ago. Love the story!

From: Becky - Date: 17-Apr-06

Love your story ! I went deer hunting a couple times, once just went along for the ride, once got a tag and a deer. I lived in Woodland then, I wonder if I took my pic they would put it on their board . . .{ nice deer, forks only, but with a 28 3/4" spread }. . . I will have to go by and check this place out next time I am in town :)

From: Jeff Monroe - Date: 17-Apr-06

Great story! I have been getting my haircuts their since I was a kid. They have a unique perspective on everything including City Government. They can be very discriptive with their commentary. I won't provide detail but after viewing this site you can probably guess:)
By the way, my Grandfather James Monroe holds the record of being their oldest customer at 97 years.

From: Steve Beckley - Date: 17-Apr-06

You captured the essence of one of Woodland's classics. Look forward to my haircut to find out what is really going on in town.

From: Melanie Hughes - Date: 17-Apr-06

That Bob Morrison has always been a hunk, but the Continental Guys have made him positvely dreamy. Thanks for the photo update.

From: Jeremy - Date: 17-Apr-06

Good Story! I've been going here for haircuts since I was 10. I used to get the "Bosworth", named after the football player. It was a flattop with racing stripes on the sides. Ahh....the 80's. They used to keep the Playboys out on the magazine racks, but now they keep 'em in the bathroom so kids can't read them...bummer.

From: Robin - Date: 18-Apr-06

The guy on the left sitting with Pete and Gallup is Bob. Once every six weeks he goes to the Barber Shop. I never knew how exciting the trip was. He always has new jokes afterwards, although I know I don't get to hear all the jokes.

From: Ted Clutter - Date: 19-Apr-06

Bob and Larry are a couple of great guys. I have been getting my haircut at Continental for about 8 years, since I moved to California from Pennsylvania. They are real, not phonies, and I don't have to put up with some fu-fu stylist who overcharges and makes me uncomfortable. The talk is great... from hunting and fishing to great jokes. They are the best.

From: Jim Burden - Date: 20-Apr-06

Great story...and a great barbershop. I have been a customer (getting the business) since 1979. Bob always makes me look better, although my wife Ginger wants him to cut out my gray hair. Bob and Larry are great friends and they don't make barbershops like this anymore!!

From: El Diablo - Date: 20-Apr-06

I used to get my hair cut at Rafeal's on main street when I was a little kid. I remember the barber shop experience, men talking and doing men things. There was even a stack of playboy magazines too.(which my dad wouldn't let me look at) Those were the days.

From: Aunt Jan - Date: 20-Apr-06

What a fun story! I always wondered what went on in those places. Now I know I better stay clear.

From: Maria - Date: 22-Apr-06

Wow, sounds like a great "guy" place. I'll have to remember to send my husband there next time he's in the way!

From: Mike-Red Bluff - Date: 23-Apr-06

Dad,??! That's not Unicle!! That's Grandpa !!! (Larrys Dad) In the picture, of him cutting Graig's hair. Bar-None! MR.Bar

From: Linda (Willoughby) Black - Date: 24-Apr-06

I loved seeing the pictures of Larry & Bob. What's with all the gray? It's been a long time since I've been in Woodland. I grew up knowing them! My Dad (Bruce) always got his haircut there! I think my mom (Lela) did too! We were all in the Western Yolo Horseman's Association. I remember going out to Clarence and Blondie's (Larry's Mom & Dad) place and playing with their critters and getting shocked with blades of grass touching the electric fence! I remember going to their shop on 4th & Court and getting penny candy at the store next door too! I can't remember the name though. It was something like 4 Jays. We used to ride our bikes down there. I grew up hunting with my family. My dad hunted with Bob and Larry many, many times! It's good to see the ol' barber shop is still there! Hi Larry and Bob! I miss you and your families!

From: kenny - Date: 24-Apr-06

hey man this web is so awesome. i am glad i found it.

From: Larry Hoppin, local attorney - Date: 24-Apr-06

I have been getting my haircuts and Continental since I moved back to Woodland in 1982. Most stories are not suitable for print but I do recall a lawsuit that I was involved with several years ago. I discovered in the middle of the case that my client's witnesses to certain pertinent conversations were Larry and Bob! My heart sank. We settled two days later.

From: agbelts - Date: 25-Apr-06

Answer for Linda (Willoughby) Black: That was the Three J Market, run by Ted Jaques along with his wife Nellie. Ted was one of Woodland's grand old politicians and civic leaders. He was mayor of Woodland for a time. The third "J" was their son Armand, who of course went on to be an outstanding athlete at WHS, and later, an outstanding teacher and coach. The Jaques family lived on Second Street, near North. Three J Market was THE SOURCE for candy, popcicles, gum, and soda for all of us growing up in that neighborhood. They paid for returnable glass bottles, I think for 3 cents each (before aluminum cans), and that gave us enough spending money to stock up on sweets for the day. Being a few cents short on your purchase was never a problem because Nellie would always let it slide. Wonderful people. The store was on Fourth Street between Court and North, where the Wayfarer Center is now.

From: VICKI LLOYD WEBSTER - Date: 27-Apr-06

I WAS LOOKING FOR THE LITTLE LEAGUE ROSTER FOR MY GRANDSON AND CAME ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL STORYS--WHAT A HOOT! I USE TO DO LARRY'S MOM'S HAIR IN A SHOP IN WOODLAND AND EVEN IN THE BEAUTY SCHOOL. ALL THAT INTER ACTION IS KEEPING YOU ALL ALIVE. GOOD JOB!!!WE ALL NEED A GATHING PLACE.

From: the heat-local bar owner - Date: 03-May-06

My dad and Bob have one of the last places where men can truly let their hair down.My favorite sign on the wall says..."If ***holes could fly, this place would be an airport". Let me tall ya, that's an understatement.How about contacting The Stag Bar for a tour?

From: Joe Cartoscelli - Date: 09-May-06

I went to the same barber shop when those two opened up in 68. I went there all the time when I was in school at the old High. You sure did bring back memories for me. Thanks Joe class of 71

From: yosimity sam - Date: 09-May-06

That was my barber shop for over 20 years. They were voted the best in yolo county 3 times. They are still the best barbers in Woodland by far.

From: John Bloodgood - Date: 03-Jun-06

Geez, Larry and Bob are still telling the same old jokes they told 20 years ago! I miss those guys. Next few people to go in there, tell them Master Sergeant John Bloodgood says "Hi".

From: Cal De Knikker - Date: 11-Jun-06

I took the boys down to a "real" barbershop. The comments they related to me on the way home was worth the price of three "professionally" done haircuts. It was all I could do to keep a straight face and from laughing out loud at their comments. Stuff memories are made of! Thanks Larry & Bob.

From: Jeff Wright - Date: 17-Jun-06

One of the few places in Woodland that you can get Miller Genuine Draft on tap-"GOOD CALL" This place proves that "Man's Law" does exist! Home of the best run football pool in Yolo County-for fun only, and not for profit!!!

From: Annie Wright Patno - Date: 03-Jan-07

I pretty much grew up in this place! I would tag along when my dad and brother would get their haircuts there. Also there should always be candy underneath the cash register. Being a girl however I have never ventured into the bathroom.

From: Emily (Rogers) Riley - Date: 10-May-07

The worst part for me is that my husband and my dad always end up getting their haircuts in the same week so I have to hear the same gossip twice! Those guys are definitely in the know about everything that goes on in Woodland.
As soon as I can get the nerve (I've been in there ONCE!), my husband will start taking our 3 & a half and 1 & a half year old sons to Bob and Larry (or Bert and Ernie as we called them growing up) for haircuts!

From: Uphoridorgo - Date: 29-Sep-07

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From: Teri Hatcher - Date: 28-Apr-08

I always hated that picture. It makes me look too much like Patrick Swayze. I don't know, maybe it's the pom-poms? Nice hog, though.

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