Klemenhagen takes over at Old Fashioned Barber

Dan Klemenhagen can’t remember a time when he wasn’t familiar with a scissors and comb.

“For my whole life,” he said. “My father was a barber.”

Choosing a career, then, was simple. After a 15-month barber apprenticeship — and a few short stints at barbershops around the region — Klemenhagen opened shop in Rosemount, Minn., in 1988.

“I just had a wonderful business for 14 years,” Klemenhagen said.

Now Klemenhagen will take over the Old Fashioned Barber, 307 W. Third St., in Red Wing. But his path here wasn’t exactly easy.

In 2003, fire destroyed Klemenhagen’s Rosemount shop. To make matters worse, he had no insurance. Still, the Castle Rock, Minn., native rebuilt and tried again.

“You just never recover from something like that,” he said.

Klemenhagen held on for four years, though his shop was never the same as it was before, he said. In 2007, he had enough and decided to sell.

“It just seemed like I needed a change,” Klemenhagen said, adding that he considered going back to school for accounting.

That’s when he met Buzz Cummins, who owns eight barbershops in southern Minnesota. Cummins offered him a job at his Cannon Falls location.

“Dan is a very good fit. He’s kind of a character and he likes people,” Cummins said.

After six years in Cannon Falls, Klemenhagen made the move to the Red Wing shop Aug. 17.

“He was a perfect person to fit in there,” Cummins said.

Cummins bought the Red Wing location — which has been a barbershop for nearly a half-century — from Jack Longsdorf about six years ago. Longsdorf continued to work there until retiring a year ago, Cummins said.

The shop was remodeled in Februar, and now has a new floor, ceiling and lighting.

“Anything you can put in a barber shop is brand new,” Cummins said.

Klemenhagen officially began at the shop Aug. 17. Clients range from children to high school kids to older adults, he said.

“I get a good variety,” he said, adding that he only does boys’ and men’s cuts.

Now with a few weeks under his belt, Klemenhagen said business so far has been pretty good.

“I’m really doing well. I haven’t been happier since I came here,” he said. “So far, so good.”

And with his spell of bad luck behind him, Klemenhagen said he’s looking for things to stay that way.

“I’m hoping to finish my career here,” he said. “I don’t want to move again.”

The details

Who: Dan Klemenhagen

What: Old Fashioned Barber

Where: 307 W. Third St.

Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to noon

More information: 651-388-5242

Tags: red wing, news, business