Shannon Rasmussen isn’t shy. When a customer walks into the Harbor Barber on Judson Street, she welcomes them with open arms and asks what’s new.

Sometimes, the four old-fashioned chairs are filled with the barbers, who are just as close as family. The next minute, the barbershop is filled with crosstalk conversation. It’s part rumor mill, part sports bar, but mostly a social club that requires nothing but a trim.

Customers may leave hair on the floor, but they take with them the sense of community and camaraderie.

“We get to tell fish stories and watch golf on TV all day,” Rasmussen said. “It’s fantastic.”

The Harbor Barber has served the Gig Harbor area since 1977. Rasmussen, the owner, and her step-brother, Jason Carli, bought the business in 2002 from Rasumussen’s father, Ernie Tregoning.

Rasmussen has fond memories of growing up in the little shop, where she hung out with her dad from the time she was 6.

Her father used to tell her that, when the economy is bad, everyone still needs haircuts, “except for the hippies.”

And it’s that sense of humor that still brings customers in.

“I always had an interest in cutting hair,” Rasmussen said.

The small, family-friendly atmosphere is framed with pictures on the walls, TVs facing the barber chairs and endless stories — from the customers as well as the professionals.

It’s a social gathering place where everyone interacts, and it’s so connected with the community that high school sports calendars are displayed.

The tight-knit employees include Beckie Kauppila, who has been in the hair business in Gig Harbor for 33 years — 23 of them at Harbor Barber.

“I like the family feel of the place,” Kauppila said. “We have a lot of fun.”

The barbers get along so well that, when the shop’s doors are locked for the day, they still see each other in their off time.

Rasmussen and her husband Corey once rented an apartment above their garage to employee Jen Harris. Rasmussen’s father-in-law, Carsten Rasmussen, lives behind Shannon and Corey, and Kauppila lives in a home a quarter-mile away.

New hire Paul Dunlap of Gig Harbor, who has been on the job a couple of weeks, lives in another neighborhood.

Kaupilla said she occasionally met with Rasmussen and Harris for a “girls night out,” during which they cut each other’s hair.

Rasmussen and Carli took over the business from Tregoning in 2002 after Rasmussen spent a seven-year stint as a veterinary technician.

When he sold the barbershop, Tregoning moved to Henderson, Nev., where he opened another hair-cutting business. Carli sold his stake to Rasmussen earlier this year and also moved to Nevada.

“Our customers ask every day about my dad,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody remembers how things were back in the day.”

After he served in the Vietnam War, Tregoning started the business in 1977 with a handshake agreement with then-building owner Keith Uddenberg. Tregoning’s shop replaced an existing barber who had been doing business at the complex.

Keeping the idea of family business alive, Rasmussen’s father-in-law, Carsten Rasmussen, also cuts hair at the shop. A newcomer to the business, Carsten had retired from owning a medical supply business in the area.

But it didn’t take much before Shannon convinced him to grab a pair of clippers.

“Shannon told me to get a license and get a job,” Carsten said.

It wasn’t his first experience with cutting hair. Carsten said he used to cut his college classmates’ hair in exchange for beer.

After he retired, he got restless.

“I had to have something to do,” Carsten said. “Shannon told me you just stand around BS-ing and take their (customers’) money. I wanted to do something with no pressure.”

Shannon Rasmussen said she doesn’t have any plans to expand the business, although a small remodel recently was completed without any radical changes.

“I think our family, my goal, is to keep the shop and pass the business on to my kids,” Rasmussen said.

Harbor Barber

Harbor Barber is located in downtown Gig Harbor at 3112 Judson St. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Haircuts cost $15, $13 for seniors.