An iconic New York City barbershop was saved by a group of investors after nearly having to shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Astor Place Hair Stylists was prepared to shut its doors around Thanksgiving after being open for nearly 75 years, according to an article published Monday by the New York Post. Financier Jonathan Trichter, Mike Bloomberg adviser and former Hillary Clinton aide Howard Wolfson, pollster Jefrey Pollock and gaming mogul Jeff Gural were among the investors.
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The group raised enough cash to keep the business open “for at least another 75 years,” Trichter told the outlet. (RELATED: Washington, DC Giving $100 Million To Help Businesses Struggling During The Pandemic)
The barbershop has seen patrons of huge celebrity including artist Andy Warhol, actor Robert de Niro and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Wolfson himself has been getting his hair cut at the barbershop since 1983.
“I’ve been going to Astor since I had a full head of hair, and I’m happy to help an institution that has meant so much to me and this city,” Wolfson told the outlet. “First visit, 1983.”
“It used to take a lot longer to cut my hair in those days,” he continued. “But the high quality is still the same.”
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Store manager Paul Vezza, whose grandfather originally opened the shop, called the investment a “tremendous blessing.”
“We were going to close this week,” Vezza told the outlet. “This was an 11th-hour save. Better days are ahead.”
