Our History
The first 100 years: 1872-1972
The Elite Barber Shop has been a part of Longmont for as long as the city has been in existence and back when Colorado wasn’t even a state yet! The shop has been continuously operating at its same location on 339 Main Street since 1872, earning it the distinction of the longest running business in Longmont.
The shop has seen Longmont grow from a sleepy farming town with horse and buggy as the primary mode of transportation to the thriving city it is today. Transportation changed, world wars were fought, and hair styles continued to evolve, but the one thing that stayed constant throughout all this was Elite Barber Shop giving people great haircuts no matter what the trend of the day was.
Records for the barbers during this time period are harder to come by, but notable is R. “Shorty” Foster who was a WW1 veteran who owned the shop in the 1940s & 1950s, and Ray Hein who owned the shop before selling it in 1972 during a period when multiple shops in town were going out of business
Elite Barber Shop in early 1900s photograph of the 300 block of Main Street. Sign is visible reading "Elite Barber Shop" on the side of the building. Horse drawn carriages predominate as transportation.
1920 panoramic photo of Main Street. looking west down 4th Avenue. A horse and buggy can still be seen traveling down the main street (far right). Elite Barber Shop can be seen at same location on the 300 block of Main Street (left).
Orville Christianson years: 1972-2022
In 1972 the shop was purchased by Orville “Orv” Christianson who was a barber in the shop from 1970-2007. During this time he and the barbers he worked with were well-known as some of the best barbers in town. Names like Gary Knutson, Alan Yu, and Damian Wise all cut hair in the shop during this time and always kept a lively and upbeat shop filled with conversation.
The energy of the shop during this time period was such that it was just a fun place to hand out and talk about sports, current events, cars, good fishing holes, or really anything else. The outsized personalities of the barbers contributed to that atmosphere and during this time the shop expanded from three chairs to four chairs.
After retiring in 2007, Orville continued to operate the business in the background and occasionally came in to cut hair. His son Jeff Christianson began barbering in the shop in 2012 and has been carrying on the family barbering tradition ever since.
Orville Christianson (left), Jason Christianson (middle), and Jeff Christianson (right) at the Elite Barber Shop in 1980s.
Gary Knutson gives a trim while members of the Longmont Barbershoppers perform during a surprise performance in 1992 to celebrate 20 years of Orville running the shop.
Orville Christianson cutting hair in the first chair next to the window in a "Main Street USA" postcard by Dwayne Wolf in 2000
Present
After 50 years under the steady hand of Orville’s operation, the shop’s ownership transitioned from Orville to his grandson Jason in 2022.
Jason recognizes and cherishes the legacy of this historic shop for everything that it represents - an iconic business as old as the town itself, his Grandpa’s life work, as well as the place where he got his own first haircut many years ago.
We intend to keep Elite Barber Shop thriving for yet another 50 years serving the residence of Longmont in a true old-timey barber shop!
Jeff Christianson (left) and Orville Christianson (right) at Elite Barber Shop
Elite Barber Shop storefront in 2022
Links
“Cutting through time: Longmont’s Elite Barber Shop celebrates 50 years of family ownership, 150 years on Main Street”, Times Call 02/2022
“The ages prevail at Longmont’s historic Elite Barber Shop”, Longmont Times Call 12/2015
“Tracing the evolution of Longmont’s economy over 150 years” Longmont Times Call 04/2021
Virtual walking tour of downtown Longmont featuring Elite Barber Shop
“Postcards from Main St. - Elite Barber Shop” short video from local television station