At the age of 90, Arizona barber not ready to call it a career just yet
PHOENIX - We are learning more about a West Valley barber who's given more haircuts than he can count.
Al Lopez has been a barber for 66 years, and at the age of 90, he's still going strong.
"My dad put me to work in the barbershop when I was 12, so that's when I decided I'd be a barber myself," said Lopez.
Lopez was born in 1930, at the start of the Great Depression. He served in the Korean Conflict and began cutting hair on weekends, along with his construction job.
Lopez sometimes sees nearly 100 heads a day.
"You go to a restaurant, you spend $15, it only lasted me three hours," said Lopez. "Not a haircut, and it lasts you a long time."
"Makes you feel good. That's all good, but he's got so many stories to tell, you can listen to them all day," said customer Charles Halloway.
Beyond being a barber, Lopez raised seven children and has been married for 33 years.
"He’s still going at it," said Lopez's wife, Virginia. "So long as he can do it, that’s his problem ya know."
Lopez is most proud of the customers he's kept, as well as the friends he made.
"I always treat people the right way when they come to the shop for my services," said Lopez. "That's what I want them to remember."
Even at his age, Lopez is not ready to hang up the scissors anytime soon. That’s just not his style.
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