The bleakest day (hopefully) of abandoned exploration
Purpera Building, Romano's Pack & Save, Mason lodge, and more

Pace's hair Styling: the patriotic salon that time never forgot

This low-profile, enigmatic hair salon had escaped my notice on my first sweep through this stretch of Government.

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I like how uncertain the lettering looks. It reflects my experience at the place. What is its deal?! I grew even more confused after looking inside.

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I stumbled upon this place on September 11th, and was a bit startled to be met with this at the main door.

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See all the greenery and flowers reflected behind me? The plants are taking over. Here's the view out the door.

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But here's the view in the door. WHAT? in tar-nation! is going on here?! (You're going to want to enlarge this one.)

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Seriously Baton Rouge, WTF. I do not understand you.

Here are just some of my questions about Pace hair Styling:

So is this place really closed, or not?

Why is there a patriot tree?

Did they used to give people George and Martha Washington hairdos here?

Why is there a trophy case in a hair salon?

Where am I?

What hole in the space-time continuum did I fall through?

It was broad daylight in a highly-trafficked area, and I was fascinated, but I was also scared as I poked around further. The hair-dryer chairs visible between the blinds in this one at least confirm that the place was at one time in the business of hair styling and not just never-forgetting. 

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I was reluctant to look in much more for fear of being met by another pair of eyes inside. I took the safest of broadly-daylit look-sees around back, making a wide berth in the lot away from the building, and it turns out I wasn't alone, once again, as someone in the shade of the back porch made their presence known with the sound of loogie-hockage.

Home again, home again jiggety jig.

Comments

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Kartek

Maybe these places are not really abandoned but suffer from a very short work day and poor patronage....but probs not.kind of like that hot dog place on route 1 near the menlo park mall....only saw it open once in at least 5 years

julepandme

whoa! are you absolutely completely sure that place is closed down? Cause if not, you HAVE to get your hair done there!

also, the building looks like a bunker, just adding to the weirdness.

and I think at least one of those trophies is a bowling trophy - you HAVE to find a way into that place!

cokane

I think it really is closed, but I'm only basing this on that it looks like a display case inside and the area behind it were mostly emptied. So I have no idea really. I would love to get in there but first I must learn some superpowers to defend myself.

Jules

Uh...your "Seriously Baton Rouge, WTF?" sums it up perfectly.

evan

haha i remember going to this place with a friend once when we were 12 so he could get a haircut for free because this place advertised on the country radio station my friend's dad owned. the guy smoked the entire time he cut my friend's hair and told a story about his camaro falling on his hand once when he was changing the tire and him being terrified that his career was over.

evan

haha i remember going to this place with a friend once when we were 12 so he could get a haircut for free because this place advertised on the country radio station my friend's dad owned. the guy smoked the entire time he cut my friend's hair and told a story about his camaro falling on his hand once when he was changing the tire and him being terrified that his career was over.

cokane

AWESOME. Now this is the kind of stuff I want to hear! I don't feel like the place is explained, but I have a leeetle bit better of a mental image, now.

ecs

I'm with Julep, I thought it was some sort of covert bomb shelter or sumpin. Espesh if it's on a street called "government".

Rebecca

This place is still open. My dad gets his hair cut there -- and has since he was a kid. The owner, Pace, is a WWII vet and I think was also some kind of athlete (featherweight boxer maybe?) in his youth. He was the first hair stylist in town to have fancy-schmancy training, which got with his GI Bill after the war was over. Apparently, he still gives a pretty good haircut. And I wouldn't be surprised if he still smokes the entire time he's cutting your hair.

Rebecca

This place is still open. My dad gets his hair cut there -- and has since he was a kid. The owner, Pace, is a WWII vet and I think was also some kind of athlete (featherweight boxer maybe?) in his youth. He was the first hair stylist in town to have fancy-schmancy training, which got with his GI Bill after the war was over. Apparently, he still gives a pretty good haircut. And I wouldn't be surprised if he still smokes the entire time he's cutting your hair.

Mary

I grew up next door to Pace's on Terry Drive. It must have first opened in the late 1950s. I remember on Saturdays it was so busy that the cars would have to park all the way down the street. Mr. Pace passed away sometime within the last few months.

Vanessa Sosa

If I were the manager of this salon, I would have made this one more attractive and colorful so that passer by can notice immediately that the place is a salon and not a garage for their things.

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