The 2014 Glen Ellyn Parade Grand Marshal - The Busy Bee Barber Shop
The 2014 Glen Ellyn Parade Grand Marshal - The Busy Bee Barber Shop
The Busy Bee Barber Shop on Main Street in downtown Glen Ellyn has been operating since 1922. In 1961 the barber shop moved a few doors down to their current location at 417 Main Street. Jim Burke, Joe Etheridge and Norm Tolle are the three barbers who cut hair on a daily basis. They have all worked there since the 1970's, each cutting locks for over 40 years.
This barber shop has remained a tradition throughout generations of Glen Ellyn fathers and sons. Customers get a great haircut in a friendly and relaxing environment and an opportunity to see friends and chat about Glen Ellyn topics of the day. You may not know of this unassuming barber shop by just walking past, but as you enter, you see the simplicity and charm that has kept them in business for 92 years. Hank Murphy, a Busy Bee customer, remarked, "It's a place to get a good haircut and it's like your local neighborhood bar without the drinks."
Jim, Joe and Norm feel like they are a large part of the community through their many years of supporting such organizations as the Jaycees, DuPage County Historical Society, Chamber of Commerce & numerous local children's sports teams. In fact, faces of the entire current year of the Glen Ellyn Park District boys' baseball league fill the walls of the Busy Bee Barber Shop annually. Jim, Joe and Norm have also given to community service projects such as the St. Baldrick's Foundation, where they annually donate their time and talent shaving heads to raise money for cancer, and they have even been motivational speakers for the Glenbard West High School football team.
The 4th of July has always been busy for the three barbers. When they were members of the Glen Ellyn Jaycees, they raised money going door-to-door for the 4th's fireworks. They have all contributed by being parade marshals, directing parade traffic and assisting with the safety of the parade watchers. But most memorable was the part they played in securing the jet fly-overs in 2002-2004. The fly-overs started as a conversation around the barber chair. An Air Force pilot who had been a patron since his youth, flying with the nickname Kojack, was able to fly over the parade route with the paperwork submitted by the Busy Bee Barber Shop.
Through the years, the Busy Bee Barber Shop has also sponsored boats in the Glen Ellyn Cardboard Boat Regatta, which is a family fun event that coincides with the 4th of July picnic and is a fundraiser for the Glen Ellyn fireworks show.
The Busy Bee Barber Shop barbers Jim, Joe and Norm all feel that it is a privilege to be asked as the 2014 Parade Grand Marshals and are humbled to be nominated by the residents. "Glen Ellyn is a great town to work in. The loyalty of the customers who keep coming back even if they move, the friends who feel like family, and the memories and stories from this place are all amazing," says Jim Burke.