New Detail

New hair cutter at Bandera Barber Shop

By Stephanie Parker

Bandera Barber Shop owner Coy Merrit has been cutting hair for nearly 50 years, lived in Bandera for nearly 18 years and spent four years at his current location. Recently Merritt added a new fixture to his shop on Highway 16 North.

Haircutter Christy Dennison joined Merrit’s staff nearly two months ago and said that she loves it. No stranger to the hair improvement business herself, Dennison began cutting hair in 1992.

“I started right out of high school,” she explained, “and since I like cutting men and children’s hair best, I decided to work at Bandera Barber Shop.”

Dennison and her husband, who is a test pilot for Emivest Aerospace, moved to Bandera from San Antonio with their two now-teenage daughters six years ago.

“We wanted to raise our children in the country instead of San Antonio,” she explained. “We drove all through the Texas Hill Country looking for the right place to move and decided on Bandera. We love the people here and the small town atmosphere. It’s just a neat place to live.”

Loving people, Dennison added, is what makes cutting hair an interesting and enjoyable occupation for her. “It takes longer to cut and style a woman’s hair than a man’s hair,” she disclosed. “That’s why I enjoy cutting men’s hair more than women’s. You can do more heads of hair in one day and you get to meet more people and hear more interesting stories.

Dennison continued, “I’m learning so much about Bandera’s history from my customers. For example, this one man in Tarpley who is 96 and has lived there all his life. Now, he has some great stories to tell!”

Having teen daughters keeps Dennison in practice for women customers who wander into Bandera Barber Shop looking for a great cut. “My daughters’ friends like to come in here and get me to cut their hair,” she said. “It’s fun. I really like cutting children’s hair, too. I’m good at it.”

Dennison’s life not only includes precision cutting, but also precision flying. Since her husband is a pilot, the entire family flies together. “The girls are involved in sports and stay pretty busy, but we still find time to fly together.”

Bandera Barbara Shop is located at 1547 Highway 16 North, just outside the Bandera City limits. It is open from 8 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Friday and from 8 am to noon on Saturday. The shop is closed on Sunday and Monday.

“But don’t let the posted hours fool you,” Merrit added. “This is the best location I’ve ever had – lenty of parking, plenty of shade and I live right next door. I’ll open up the shop at any time day or night. Just call first.”

The shop number is 830-796-9911.
And, not to be bested by the admitted people-loving newest fixture in his shop that boasts displays of the county’s history and antique legacy, Merrit added, “We’re real easy to get along with here and we both love people. We love our customers.”