Father joins sons at Punch Barber Shop in Glen Ellyn

GLEN ELLYN – Glendale Heights resident Darryl Morphew likes how Vince Giovenco Sr. cuts his hair.

That's evident by the fact that Giovenco Sr. has been cutting Morphew's hair for 30 some years, first at his recently closed Glendale Barber Shop in Glendale Heights and now at his new barbershop, Punch Barber Shop, at 491 Pennsylvania Ave. in downtown Glen Ellyn.

"He does a good job; that's all that matters to me," the 62-year-old Morphew said while getting a haircut recently at Punch Barber Shop. "He cuts it right. He's an old-time barber."

Giovenco Sr., who had owned Glendale Barber Shop since 1981, recently closed that shop to join his two sons, Vince and Fabio Giovenco, at Punch Barber Shop. The two brothers opened the old-fashioned barbershop in 2014.

"It was time," Giovenco Sr. said. "It was time to move on."

For Giovenco Sr., joining his sons at the shop is sort of a homecoming. His son Vince worked at Glendale for 16 years before deciding to open his own place.

"They are pretty good kids," he said. "They do OK."

The sons are glad to have him at the shop to keep up with the demand the business has seen. The shop sees at least 30 customers a day, and on Saturdays, when the shop is especially busy, customers can wait up to two hours for a haircut, founder/manager Fabio Giovenco said.

"Being a five-chair shop is a lot better than being a four-chair shop," he said. "It's why we needed Dad, to keep up with the volume."

Punch Barber Shop is a classic-style barbershop specializing in kids' and men's haircuts.

"That's what we are classically trained in," Fabio Giovenco said. "We finish everything with a straight blade. Each of our barbers have a strength."

For Giovenco Sr., bonding with his customers is as much fun as cutting hair.

"I enjoy what I am doing and dealing with the customers," he said.

That includes greeting each customer with a wide smile. For longtime customer Joseph DiGioia, 36, Giovenco Sr. has become like family.

"I see him more than I see some of my family members," DiGioia said.

DiGioia lives in Naperville but grew up in Glendale Heights. He had been going to Glendale Barber Shop since he was a kid and recently got a trim by Giovenco Sr. at Punch Barber Shop.

Joining him was his stepson Nathan Rodriguez, 12, who is fast becoming a fan of the work of Giovenco Sr.

"You tell him what to do, and he will try to make it work," Nathan said.

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About Punch Barber Shop

Address: 491 Pennsylvania Ave., Glen Ellyn

Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays

Contact: 630-469-0727

More info: www.punchbarbershop.com

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See more online

Go to videos.mysuburbanlife.com/mysuburbanlife to watch video of Vince Giovenco Sr. cutting hair at Punch Barber Shop in downtown Glen Ellyn.