Click2Daily: Eddie's Barbershop continues family tradition in Montgomery County

SPRING, Texas – In an area that’s rapidly growing, there are a lot of new businesses, but Eddie’s Barbershop planted its roots 30 years ago when there was barely anything out there.

“My dad opened it up back in 1987 and he started with three barbers next door actually and before you knew it he was up to seven barbers and had to move to this location right here,” explained Eddie Paez Jr. who bought the business from his father, Eddie Paez Sr., in 2000.

By 1992, the shop had 12 barbers and ever since then has thrived and been a go to for people in Montgomery County.

The traditional barber shop, located at 25170 N. I-45, sits along a busy feeder road in an area that continues to boom.

“We grew up in Aldine area, and my dad decided he wanted to come out this way and I was like, ‘Why do you want to go to Rayford and Sawdust Road in The Woodlands, there’s nothing out there.’ He was, like, 'I think one day there will be,’ and obviously, here we are,” Paez said with a chuckle.

[PHOTOS: Eddie's Barbershop in Montgomery County]

The family has opened up another shop in Magnolia and a woman’s salon, but Paez wasn’t always keen on getting into the family business.

“My grandfather, he was in the business a long time ago, my dad and my uncle, my two aunts were too, that’s what they did,” explained Paez. “My dad told me when I was in in 10th grade ... ‘You know I want you to learn a trade,’ and I was like, ‘What do you want me to do?’ He was, like, 'I want you to go to barber college.'”

The teen at the time told his father he would go, but didn’t want to cut hair for a job.

“So I was, like, ‘OK I tell you what, I’m going to go to barber college, but I tell you what -- I’m never going to cut hair ... I’ll go to barber college and get my license but I’ll never do it,’ then here we are, here I am doing it,” Paez said.

The owner has four sons are they are currently not interested in the business, but his daughter is and just got her license.

“My brother was the same way, and actually, when I graduated barber college I did everything to not cut hair,” Paez explained. “I was in the Air Force, I worked for Coca Cola, UPS, Continental at the time. I did all that to not cut hair then it got to the point where I thought, ‘You know what? I think that is pretty good cutting hair,’ and my brother basically did the same thing.”

Paez's brother and father currently run and own Red’s Barbershop in Madisonville.

It’s not just their legacy that’s carried them through the years, but their talent.

Paez Sr. used to sell hair pieces back in the day.

“My dad was like a number one seller in Houston, so he got to go to Oklahoma and meet Terry Bradshaw because Terry Bradshaw was a spokesmodel for them,” explained Paez in reference to a picture of his dad with the Hall of Fame quarterback.

They’ve had other NFL players in the shop, too, including Jerome Bettis, Joey Porter and Kordell Stewart, who all happen to have played for Paez'sfavorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other famous people including movie star Kurt Russell, who sat at the number 7 chair, have also been in the shop.

According to Paez, what has kept the business growing is its customer service, talented barbers and rich atmosphere.

“I believe that hair grows just like grass, and there’s plenty for everybody and everybody has their own niche,” Paez said. “We just got blessed that we’re one of the first ones out here and still carrying on the tradition of what my dad started.”

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