A snip of time
Barber marks 60 years behind the chair
Staff writer
For nearly six decades, Martin Bina has cut hair in Marion County. He’s one of the area’s longest-serving small-business owners and a familiar face to generations of local customers.
Bina opened his Marion barbershop in 1966, operating across the street from his current location before purchasing his present building in 1990. In his 80s, he still works behind the chair, serving a loyal base of longtime clients.
Bina was born into a farming family near Pilsen but chose a different path.
“My folks farmed. I had two brothers who farmed,” he said. “I didn’t go that way. I went this route, and it’s been good.”
An uncle who worked as a barber encouraged him to learn the trade. After graduating high school, he attended barber school before completing an apprenticeship in Hillsboro from 1963 to 1965, a requirement at the time.
Bina was drafted and served six years in the Kansas National Guard.
He married in 1968. Although some of the men he trained with were sent overseas, Bina remained stateside.
Over the decades, Bina has seen both Marion and the barbering trade change. Flat tops once filled his appointment book.
“I still cut a few flat tops,” Bina said. “That was a big thing back in the day.”
Longtime clients still go to him for traditional cuts they always have worn.
He has also watched Marion’s downtown shift as businesses have come and gone and the town’s population has slowly declined, affecting the number of people walking through his door.
Despite that, Bina continues to make a living at his shop and has no plans to retire.
“I enjoy it,” he said.
His children chose other careers. He has a son in engineering and a daughter in nursing.
Martin’s Barbershop remains a steady fixture downtown, much as it has been for nearly 60 years.
Looking back on his long career in Marion, Bina is satisfied with the life he built.
“I feel good about it,” he said.