Joe Aprile came to America from Ribera, Sicily in 1958 at the age of fourteen. Out of the limited number of opportunities to learn a trade, he chose to learn to cut hair. He worked as an apprentice for eight years before buying a barber shop at 607 South Avenue West in Westfield, New Jersey and hanging his Mr. J’s Barber Shop sign.
Joe built an immediate following of local Westfield folks and a number of customers who traveled from neighboring towns, friends from Elizabeth, Bowling buddies from Jersey Lanes and guys looking for an old-fashioned, traditional haircut, which were getting harder to find as the decades clicked by.
Not much changed in the shop over the years. He still has the original barber chairs he started with, that collectors would salivate over. memorabilia fills the walls, old photos and family snapshots. It seems that stuff gets hung but never comes down.
A signed photo of retired boxer Gerry Cooney, a one time contender for the heavyweight crown, is prominently displayed. Asked if Cooney is the biggest celebrity customer, Joe says, “No, all his customers are celebrities.”
(above, l-r) An autographed photo of Joe Aprile with his long-time customer, prize fighter Gerry Cooney adorns the wall of his barber shop, Mr. J’s, in Westfield.
