Palisades Barber Shop Announces Closure, Pivots to House Calls

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Palisades Barber Shop—one of the oldest businesses in Pacific Palisades—announced it will be “permanently closing its doors” following its destruction in the fire, but the team said they are now available for house calls  until they find a new location.

“Palisades Barber Shop will be permanently closing its doors due to the devastating wild fires that destroyed our beloved Palisades,” the shop said in a statement signed by Owner Joe, JR, Lucy and Tomás Almaraz. “We deeply appreciate your patronage over the years and are grateful for the opportunity to have served you all. We are saddened by this decision as we feel this barber shop, which has been in the same location since 1940, was a huge part of the Palisades community, and we will miss you.”

The shop has been widely recognized as a fixture in the community—with a list of customers who frequented 15322 Antioch Street over the last eight decades. The shop still had its original cabinetry and a sturdy clock on the wall—used to time appointments.

Joe was honored in 2022 as parade marshal on Fourth of July. In making this decision, Palisades Americanism Parade Association said that it sought individuals or pairs who were active in the community.

“As a longtime business owner and resident of Pacific Palisades, it was an absolute joy to be honored as a parade marshal,” Almaraz said to the Palisadian-Post in 2022. “With the constant hard work I put into my business and my dedication to the community, it was a surreal moment … and one that I won’t forget.”

Joe and his family aimed to cultivate an atmosphere that welcomed both first-time and longtime patrons. Notably, many famous customers frequented the shop, including retired LA Dodgers play-by-play announcer Vin Scully, Christian Bale, Tom Brady, John Mayer, Larry David and more.

“It’s hard for some people to believe it opened in 1940,” Tomás, the youngest of Joe’s three children who worked at the shop, said to the Post in 2020. “My dad applied for a job there in 1962 when he was 20 and eventually bought it from Bill Parker in 1984. He was looking into plumbing but was drawn to barbering.”

Palisades Barber Shop reported that the team is available for house calls until “we find a new location.”  For more information or to contact the shop, call 424-789-9495 or email palibarber@yahoo.com.