Franco DiGangi has been cutting hair for 50 years in Caldwell. 

“I saw children come in, then they grew up and brought their sons,” he says, reminiscing recently about the decades of snipping, clipping and buzzing.  Everywhere he goes in town, folks know Franco. He knows them, and their hair.
 
Franco  arrived in 1956 from Italy with his new wife Christine, speaking no English. He worked alongside his father-in-law to learn the trade, then opened the neat store at 369 Bloomfield Avenue  46 years ago. It’s still there. Franco lives a few blocks away, and has walked to work ever since. He loves his job.

The town fathers (and mothers — the mayor is female) recently cited Franco for his 50 years in business. There’s a sign on his window trumpeting the honor, and customers aplenty to offer congratulations. 

Today, Franco reflects, that he has been in this country longer than he lived in his native Italy. He describes himself as  a “full fledged American — one- hundred percent.”

The DiGangis have two grown sons, both bachelors. To be sure, there are plenty of friends in Caldwell who want to change that…so that the 77-year-old barber can become a grandfather.

But for now, he’s the Barber of Caldwell, and if you live in town, he’s the man that knows your head better than just about anyone else, because chances are he’s been looking at it for years. Snipping, clipping, and buzzing.