Lynn Thrash did not come from a long line of barbers. The son of a farmer in Sand Mountain, Ala., he did not give much thought to cutting hair for a living while he was growing up. Rather, the idea came to him serendipitously—on a hot July day when he was sitting in a barber’s chair getting his own hair cut.

“I was in the Korean War, and not long after I came back I went to a barber college in Decatur where they were doing haircuts, and I was just sitting there getting my hair cut and I decided to do it,” Thrash said. “My family thought it was great. They said, it won’t make you rich, but it will make you a living.”

After finishing at the trade school, Thrash worked in West End for 13 years before coming to Village Inn in 1971. Founded by Bill Bridges in 1963, Village Inn Hair Designs is one of the oldest businesses in the city of Hoover. Thrash came to the shop in 1971 and later purchased the shop from Bridges in 1980.

However, becoming a barber did make him rich—rich with close friendships he formed with co-workers and faithful customers at Village Inn Hair Designs. Thrash, 85, recently retired from the shop, leaving behind 1800 square feet of laughter and memories.

To read more about Lynn Thrash and Village Inn, check out the March 2014 issue of Hoover’s Magazine. Find your copy here.