[dropcap]E[/dropcap]ver since opening a barbershop in downtown Buda in 1977, many local residents have come to know Mike Evans and his haircutting expertise.
For some, Evans has been the barber that’s serviced their family for at least two generations.
It’s for that reason that many Buda residents are mourning the loss of Evans, who passed away Dec. 29 from complications due to cancer. According to his obituary, Evans, 66, passed away peacefully.
According to the Mike’s Barber Shop website, Evans began cutting hair in 1968, which was the year he exited barber school.
He then started cutting hair in Austin until he opened a barbershop in front of his house in Buda in 1977. The building he moved his shop into was originally a barbershop owned by Arthur Patton in the early 1920s.
Later, Evans purchased the building from the Patton family and expanded the shop to accommodate three full-time barbers, according to the website.
Whether it was himself or his two full-time assistants, Evans made an impact on the Buda community.
“Mike cut my hair for 22 years,” said local resident Royce Miller on a Hays Free Press Facebook post. “He’ll be missed.”
Kyle resident Doug Garner wrote that he was a “long time customer” of Evans and that he was a “nice guy.”
Friend and owner of Casa Alde Restaurant Rene Alcala spoke fondly of Evans and commented on what life will be like for the residents of Buda without him. Alcala said Casa Alde has been a neighbor to Evans’ shop ever since the restaurant opened in 1980.
J.R. Gonzales, Buda Area Chamber of Commerce managing director, said Mike’s Barber Shop was more than just another Buda business and that it was a symbol of the “small town” persona that attracts people to Buda.
“Mike’s Barbershop was more than just a business, it was an icon that helped give Main Street its ‘home town’ atmosphere,” said J.R. Gonzales, Buda Area Chamber of Commerce managing director.
Evans leaves behind a legacy in the form of the “old school” barber shop on Main Street which, according to Alcala, will be passed on to his surviving family members and remain in operation.
“It’s a deep hit to the community,” Alcala said, “Mike was a fantastic neighbor and friend, I don’t think I ever saw him get mad in my life.”
“The Barbershop is one of those iconic Buda businesses that is always one of the first stops I take visitors to where they can still get a haircut and a close, hot shave,” Gonzales said. “How many towns still have an old timey barber shop? Not very many.”
Alcala said the future of day-to-day business at Casa Alde and Mike’s Barber Shop will be different after the passing of Evans but Buda residents, customers, neighbors and friends are encouraged to come by the shop to pay their respects and say goodbye.
“People have left flowers and gifts, and there is a white poster board outside the barber shop where people can write their farewell messages to Mike,” Alcala said.
As Buda residents cope with the hole left by Evans’ passing, Gonzales has hope that his legacy will live on in the barbershop that generations of men and boys have passed through for a haircut or a shave.
“Mike will be missed a lot,” Gonzales said.
Evans was laid to rest Dec. 31 at Live Oak Cemetery in Manchaca, Texas.
