Brittingham opens Clayton Family Barber Shop

The owner of Clayton Family Barber Shop had thought of opening her own business for more than 20 years, and now with the help of her daughter and a good friend, she’s done it.

“I always wanted my own shop,” said owner Jeanie Brittingham. “Back in 1982, I was going to go to barber school, but the closest one was in Wilmington, and the drive would have been too much with the schedule I had. Six years ago, I went to barber school. Then it was a matter of finding a location and the right time.”

Jeanie was working at Buck’s Barber Shop west of Dover with her friend Kathy Virdin, when the opportunity in Clayton came up.

“A friend of ours said, ‘I’ve got a place I’d like you to check out,’” said Jeanie.

The building on Railroad Avenue next to the Clayton Post Office was most recently a laundromat, but many years ago, it was the Clayton Firehouse.

“This is a good location, close to the post office, because you get a lot of traffic,” Jeanie said.
After some renovations, Jeanie opened the barber shop with her daughter, Jaimee Brittingham, and Kathy Virdin. Jeanie has lived in the Smyrna-Clayton area for about 30 years, while Kathy and Jaimee were both born and raised here. They held the grand opening Nov. 13.

The shop offers haircuts for men, women, and children.

“We wanted to give the community reasonably-priced haircuts,” said Jeanie. “If a family has two or three boys, it can be pretty expensive to get them all haircuts.”

Prices at Clayton Family Barber Shop are $8 for adults, $7 for firefighters and police officers, and $5 for children under 12. The shop also offers free coffee to enjoy if there’s a wait.

“We want to thank the town and local businesses for their support in helping us get started,” said Jeanie. “Everyone’s been very nice. We’ve met a lot of nice customers, and a lot of our customers from Buck’s have come here.”