Iconic barbershop returns to downtown SLO. Take a look inside
A century-old barbershop is back at its original location in downtown San Luis Obispo.
After a three-year stint on Dana Street, Anderson Barber Shop has returned to its rightful place: its original spot on Monterey Street, where the barbershop first opened back in 1923.
Owner Ray Shearer, a barber at Anderson’s for 58 years, dreamed of celebrating the shop’s 100-year anniversary in its original location at 953 Monterey St. He got to do that in 2023 — but then quickly soon after had to leave the spot as the Anderson Hotel underwent building renovations.
As soon as Shearer got notice he could return the barbershop to its forever home, he jumped. The owner moved in the tools, chairs, left some boxes unopened and reopened on March 31.
“I don’t have my signage up, I don’t have my barber pole back, but I do have all that stuff,” he said. “I just wanted in. We’ll worry about the details later.”
Shearer’s iconic three-striped red, white and blue pole that has historically been outside the shop’s doorway is set to return shortly, as “soon as we can mount it on the wall outside there,” Shearer said, pointing to the left of the building.
Shearer’s clientele followed him to 583 Dana St. when Anderson’s moved, and are following him right back to Monterey, even with no decal on the window stating the business’ name yet.
“Hey, when they see you cutting hair, they kind of know what it is, but they just don’t know what the name is, right?” Shearer said. “We’re just happy to be back.”
Al Eschenbach has been getting a haircut at Anderson’s for 31 years, and was sitting in one of the shop’s chairs for a trim on Tuesday morning.
“You get a little bit of the whole community in here talking about A to Z, from community issues to governmental issues to life issues,” Eschenbach told The Tribune. “He’s been just a staple downtown, and it’s just a little bit of slice of Americana in a good way.”
Anderson’s Barber Shop at 953 Monterey St. is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM.