Styling Men and Women for Four Decades

Gino Colafella certainly knows all about hair.

“When I started working as a barber, a friend of mine owned a salon in Cambridge on Brattle Street,” he said. “He wanted me to promote men’s hair cutting in his salon.”

That’s where Gino learned how to style women’s hair.

“I did perms, finger waves and setting with rollers,” he said.

The North End resident owns Johnny & Gino Hairstyling for Men and Women located at 430 Hanover Street.

It's been a long and interesting career for Gino.

He met Johnny Cammarata in 1971.

“Our shop was on Salem Street at that time,” Gino said. “In July of 1978, there was a fire and the entire building burned.”

From there, Johnny and Gino went to Battery Street for three years and the shop has been at the Hanover location since 1981.

Gino offers hairstyling for men and women.

About Gino

Gino is from Abruzzo, Italy, and came to this country in 1967.

“My mother was an American citizen through her father so it was easy for my brother and I to come to the United States,” he said.

“I came to Boston in June of 1978.

The first year Gino was in Boston, he worked a variety of jobs.

“In 1970, my brother and I went back to Italy for a couple of months and, while there a friend of mine asked what I would do when I came back to Boston,” he said.

Gino wanted to learn a trade but didn’t know which one so eventually trained to be a stylist.

He started barber school in October 1970 and graduated in May 1971.

“While I was half-way through the program, people would ask me why I wanted to be a barber when so many barbershops were closing because men were wearing long hair at the time,” Gino said.

The finishing touches

He told the people who asked him that question that he was halfway through the program and he might as well finish it.

While he was in school, Gino took classes to style as well as cut hair.

“What helped me was I learned to cut long hair for men and they would come twice a week for a wash and a blow dry,” he said. “That helped me to continue my profession.”

On any day that the shop is open, you’ll see Gino meticulously styling hair and chatting with his customers at the same time. He has a smile for everyone who walks through the door.

The hours for Johnny & Gino Hair Styling for Men and Women are Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed on Monday and Sunday. If necessary, the shop stays open even later than 6:00 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome. It’s recommended to call ahead for a color treatment.

For additional information, call 617-227-8114.

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