A beloved local barbershop has found its new permanent home after serving the community for nearly 60 years at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center.
The Chesterbrook Barber Shop, a longtime barber of choice for local families, seniors and retired military members, held a grand reopening yesterday (Sunday) at 6262-F Old Dominion Drive in McLean. The business, one of the shopping center’s original tenants, was forced to relocate after the center came under new ownership.
Federal Realty Investment Trust, which acquired Chesterbrook Shopping Center in 2021, reportedly refused to renew the barber shop’s lease, requiring it to vacate the place where it had served generations of neighbors since 1967.
Owner Peggy Ngo has worked at the Chesterbrook Barber Shop since she immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in the 1980s. She inherited the shop about 15 years ago from its previous owner, the late Ernie Tyrell, carrying the torch by prioritizing strong community bonds and modest pricing. Tyrell passed away in 2018.
After decades spent at the shopping center, Ngo told FFXnow that a customer was the first to inform her that the storefront was being listed as available for lease last year.
“He said, ‘Peggy, I saw it. They put your shop online,'” Ngo said. “I said, ‘You must be kidding.’ He said, ‘No, I saw it.'”
At the time, Ngo was devastated, left to plead with the property’s new ownership for permission to stay.
“I told them, you know, I don’t make a lot of money, but I’ve been here a lot, and this place is like my extended family,” she said. “The customers love me, they support me, they care about me a lot, they taught me [English], and they empowered me over the years … I reached the point that every immigrant dreams of: I put my kids through college.”
When Ngo’s efforts went to no avail, the community rallied for her. As word spread last summer, more than 200 people signed a letter explaining the barber shop’s local significance. Customers with experience in commercial law, real estate and construction helped Ngo as she searched for the shop’s new location. They also helped her publish a new website.
Ngo said she is delighted with the new space, which is located in the strip adjacent to Chesterbrook where Tennis Topia and Fonts Books & Gifts can be found.
The turmoil of the past year still hurts, she said, but she feels comforted by customers’ continued support.
“I thought I would be sad, but I like it more,” she said. “Customers come and support me, and everybody loves it. It looks very bright … It still hurts, but you know, God always loves you, and when one window closes, the other one would be open. God sent the community, and people came to help me out.”
The new Chesterbrook Barber Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
