Sgro's Barbershop

Your grandfather’s barbershop for today’s world

Some places in Shaker Heights carry more than history; they carry legacy, and Sgro Barbershop is one of those places. The shop has been part of the community since 1981, but the family’s story begins much earlier in 1964, when Joe Sgro, an immigrant barber from Argentina, opened his first shop in Cleveland and began shaping what would become a multigenerational tradition. Joe grew up in Lanús, a working-class community outside Buenos Aires, the same hometown as soccer legend Diego Maradona, and he started cutting hair at the age of ten. By his twenties he had developed such exceptional skill that when he arrived in Cleveland in the early 1960s, the quality of his work earned him immediate acceptance.

Over the years, Joe operated shops in Pepper Pike and later in Beachwood, before finally settling in Shaker Heights. Each location reflected his dedication to detail and his care for his customers, yet Shaker became the lasting home for his business. What made the difference was not only the steady flow of customers but also the way the Shaker community welcomed him and his family. At a time when it was not always easy for immigrants to find acceptance, neighbors embraced Joe for his talent, his work ethic, and his kindness, and that support built the foundation that allowed the shop to flourish.

Today the legacy is carried forward by his daughter, Patricia (Trish) Sgro, who grew up around the barbershop but first built a career in international sales across South America. In the early 2000s she found herself at a crossroads, with the loss of her mother, the impact of 9/11, and changes in her industry that made her work unsustainable. She decided to enroll in barber school with the intention of surprising Joe, though the secret quickly got back to him. “He thought it was impossible,” Trish recalls, “because I had a degree and had traveled all over the world, and he could not imagine me taking this on.” In time, she purchased the shop and stepped fully into the family trade.

Although Trish has modernized the business with online booking, social media, and digital payment systems that make the barbershop more accessible to today’s customers, she has remained committed to preserving the traditions that set the shop apart. Seniors and children continue to receive respectful pricing, services are still offered a la carte, and the layout is designed to encourage conversation among customers, so that the shop feels like a place where everyone belongs rather than a space defined by silent transactions. “It is your grandfather’s barbershop for today’s world,” Trish explains, describing how she strives to balance continuity with change.

Sgro Barbershop now shares its building with another Shaker business, 56 Social, which carries special meaning since years ago Joe Sgro’s barbershop operated near Jay Levey’s family restaurant. Today their children, Trish and Jay, are once again neighbors in business, this time in Shaker Heights. For Trish, carrying on her father’s legacy alongside another second-generation business highlights the continuity and connections that make this community unique. She also takes pride in the fact that the space itself has always been a barbershop since the building was constructed in 1930, and she hopes to one day hand it to someone who will appreciate its history and keep it going. She would love for it to remain a barbershop and give the next owner a chance to build their own future while continuing a tradition that has been rooted here for nearly a century.

Sgro Barbershop is more than a place to get a haircut. It is a place where generations meet, where neighbors feel at home, and where the legacy of skill, resilience, and community connection continues to shape Shaker Heights.