The ol’ Costa Mesa barbershop

Tom Forquer

Amid the hustle and bustle of contemporary corporate commerce in

Costa Mesa lies a remnant of old business and community values.

Tucked into a tiny alley off Newport Boulevard, you might know

about Swaim’s Clip Joint if you happened to notice its rotating

barber pole or if you’ve lived in Newport-Mesa for a while.

Looking for a job after he discharged from the Marine Corps, Ed

Swaim took a tip from his barber.

“He said you could always have a job, you wouldn’t make much

money, but you would meet an awful lot of nice people,” Swaim said.

One such person, Lloyd Braddy, provided Swaim his first barbershop

job in 1949 at Braddy’s Barber and Beauty Shop. He told Swaim that if

he did one thing, he could always keep it.

“Always do the best you can do,” Swaim recalled.

It only took Swaim three days of working in Costa Mesa to know

that he had found a home. Swaim identified with the young residents,

many of whom were also just out of the service and raising or

starting families.

“Everyone was trying to help each other get a job,” Swaim said.

Though there were three barbershops within a small area, residents

would try to rotate between them. Swaim stated that “In other words,

they would split their business.”

When Braddy died in 1957, Swaim bought the shop and its equipment,

much of which is still being used today in the Clip Joint’s current

location.

The two-chair shop’s walls are covered with barber-related

artwork, historic photos of Costa Mesa and aviation art, like the

photo of the Spruce Goose in its one and only historic flight.

The Clip Joint’s vintage appeal has attracted such celebrities as

Mike Ness, front man of the rock-a-billy punk band Social Distortion.

When Swaim first started, you could get a men’s cut for 75 cents.

Today, you can still get a cut for as little as $5.

Woody Hadley, 87-year-old Costa Mesa resident and longtime friend

of Swaim, noted that “The price is right.”

Chis Brown is reputed to have known Swaim longer than any other

Costa Mesa resident, which is believable considering he has lived

here since 1922.

“This is a place where you’ll find out the city’s business,” said

Brown, noting that the shop is frequented by community leaders.

When Swaim has encountered tough times, the community has pitched

in to help, such as the time his barber pole was stolen and the Costa

Mesa Fire Department paid for and installed a new one.

At 82 years old, Swaim still loves cutting hair and has no plans

for retirement.

“If I believed in reincarnation, I’d just assume come back as a

barber,” he said with a chuckle.

* TOM FORQUER is a Daily Pilot intern. He can be reached at

tom.forquer@latimes.com.

* LOOKING BACK runs Sundays. Do you know of a person, place or

event that deserves a historical Look Back? Let us know. Contact

James Meier by fax at (949) 646-4170; e-mail at

james.meier@latimes.com; or mail him at c/o Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay

St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627.