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FRIDAYMARCH 28
FOOD: Second in our series on feeding the city
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Barber’s days at Days Inn cut short Teresa Mallam arts@pgfreepress.com Georgio’s Barber Shop has been an anchor tenant at Days Inn downtown since August 1964 but with the landmark hotel now sold to new owners, barber George Blanis feels lost at sea. Within weeks, the Days Inn on Quebec Street will become a Holiday Inn Express and Blanis, 77, will have to find a new place to set up shop, he says. Still, he will miss the little barber shop that has become like a second home to him since he immigrated here from Greece almost half a century ago. Last Thursday he was stoic, but sad. “I thought I would be celebrating my 50th anniversary year here at the shop in October,” said Blanis. “Now I don’t know where I’ll be. They want me to move out at the end of the month and I am telling my customers as they come in that I will be moving. It is sad. There is a lot of nostalgia here for me. It won’t be the same, for sure ... but life goes on.” He points his barber scissors in the direction of commemorative photos on the walls, which includes one of his late father who worked alongside him for many years, and others of Blanis posing with famous faces. As he talks with the Free Press, Blanis is also busy chatting with and clipping the hair of one of his many long-time customers. He expects most of his cliTeresa MALLAM/Free Press ents will follow him to his new George Blanis with a customer, “Ron”, at Georgio’s Barber Shop in the Day’s Inn where, as he location. says on his business card, he’s worked for “49 years and still clipping.” “Some of them have been would always come here and get me to cut their hair or give them a with me since day one,” he shave. So there is a real lot of nostalgia here for me.” said, proudly. “From back when I first opened my shop. My dad Blanis says he will still be in the mood to celebrate his 50th year was a barber too, we had 15 years here working here together beat Georgio’s, whether the gathering is at the Days Inn or another fore he went back home to Greece. He taught me the trade.” His father has since passed away and George has fond memories place. “My brother Tom is coming over from Greece to help me celof him and the many famous people, hockey players, politicians, ebrate.” and other celebrities who have sat in his barber’s chair. There is lots to do to get ready and not much time but, Blanis “Prince George has been very good to me and my family. I really says he is telling customers as they come in that he will soon be cannot say enough about how they made me feel, like their own moving. He expects the move will be financially costly but it is goson. Then there were the famous people that I have met who have ing to be very emotional for him as well when his days at the Days sat in this chair. At one time or another, they’ve all been here, said Inn are up, he says. Blanis. “I am the oldest barber in Prince George – working in the oldest “Hockey legends (Guy) Lafleur, (Frank, Peter) Mahovlich, barber shop in Prince George. That’s really something,” said Blanis, Maurice Richard and so many others [prime ministers] Joe Clark, taking a chair cloth from his customer’s (and friend’s) shoulders (Pierre) Trudeau, (premier) Bill Bennett. We had a lot of good and brushing off the hair to the floor. times. Whenever they would come and stay at the hotel, they
Supt. Stubbs off to Ottawa Prince George RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs has received a promotion to Chief Superintendent, Director General, of National Criminal Operations at RCMP national headquarters in Ottawa. “The last three years have been the most challenging and rewarding of my career,” said Stubbs. “I’m extremely proud of the members and staff who work in this detachment. They work so hard to make this community a safe place and have been relentless in targeting prolific offenders and driving down crime in Prince George.” During his tenure, which began in the spring of 2011, Superintendent Stubbs and the RCMP detachment have decreased the levels of violent crime in key areas including murders, with marked drops in many areas such as break and enters, assaults, and robberies. “I would like to thank Superintendent Stubbs for his hard work and leadership at the helm of our municipal detachment,” said Mayor Shari Green of the City of Prince George. “Among the many achievements that have occurred during his watch, I’d like to point to his dedication to reducing domestic violence, acting on the Downtown Partnership’s recommendation to create a downtown enforcement unit, and his valuable role on the Mayor’s Task Force on Crime. I wish him much success in his next role with the RCMP.” Previously, Superintendent Stubbs was the Officer in Charge of the Terrace RCMP Detachment. He succeeded Supt. Brenda Butterworth-Carr, who also left Prince George for Ottawa and now heads up the RCMP in Saskatchewan. A recruitment process is already underway to select a new officer in charge for the Prince George detachment.
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