A Greenwich Treasure Makes His Home at the Witherell
If you grew up in Greenwich, chances are you’ve sat in Tony Sciarrillo’s chair at Tony’s Barber Shop, where for 68 years, the shop was a fixture in Chickahominy. It’s where Greenwich guys headed for a shave or a haircut. It’s also where they brought their sons for their first cut. It’s where Tony held court. He was known as the “go-to” Greenwich barber—providing an affordable haircut and a shop that was a gathering place for his Chickahominy neighbors.
Four years ago, Tony decided it was time to set aside his magic scissors and move to The Nathaniel Witherell. The Witherell’s Greenwich location meant Tony could stay in the community he’s lived in all his life. Tony and his family were also thrilled he could enjoy the Witherell’s therapeutic recreation activities like musical performances, bingo, pet therapy and more.
Growing up, Tony wanted to be an accountant but his Dad had other ideas—as in, he wanted his son to take over the family business. “I had no choice,” says Tony. “Your father told you what you were going to do, and you did it!” Tony served in the Army during the Korean War. After two years of service, it was back to Chickahominy and the shop.
Beyond having a knack for numbers, Tony was a people person. So building a strong clientele came easy to him. “I had my steady customers,” he affirms. Though he cut the heads of many Greenwich A-listers, one of his favorite clients was the former Greenwich Chief of Police, Raymond Grant. Tony even weathered big dips in hair trends—like the no hair cut period of the 1960’s and 1970’s.
“Dad’s shop was a real old school kind of place,” notes his son, Anthony. “The fixtures were from the turn of the century. My dad had the leather barber strap, and although there wasn’t a lot of call for a shave with a straight edge razor, he knew how to do it.”
Tony looks back on his years as a Greenwich business owner with pride. He provided a valuable service and earned a solid reputation in the community.
Today, the shop sits empty, but the memories of Tony, the 1950 haircuts that cost just 75 cents, and the hundreds of Greenwich men, neatly trimmed and shaved and ready to face the world outside of Greenwich, live on. Tony was, and is, a community treasure.
