Paul the Barber's Family History, Evangelista's Barbershop est.1972 - Hairstyling, Haircut, Shampoo, Conditioner Head Massage, Hot Towel Shave, Beard & Moustache Trimming.

Paul the Barber's Family History

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Hello everyone,
I guess I should start this story from as far back in time as possible and I have managed to research our history to the year 1378, where we found that our family name is derived from the personal name of Evangelista, which it is said reflects devotion to San Giovanni Evangelista, which translates to St. John the Evangelist which in turn is derived from the Greek “evangelistes”, which means “good news”.

One of the earliest references we could find to this name is a record of one Giovanni Evangelista, a cleric, writer and teacher mentioned in 1378. notable bearers of our surname include another Giovanni, he was a goldsmith, mathematician and draftsman cited in 1455. Seventeen century records from Casamassima (Bari) mentions the birth of Angela Antonia Evangelista, daughter of Vito Evangelista and Rosa Pisingo, registerd on the 24th November 1630. We also read of a marriage between Pietro Antonio Evangelista and Angela Mattea, also registered in Casamassima on the 18th May 1693 and also their son Bartolemeo Evangelista, documented in 1703. Michelangelo Evangelista and Anna Di Paolo were wed in another small village near Bari called Corato on the 20th December 1727. Apparently, there are other bearers of our surname include Francesco Paolo Evangelista, a sculptor born in 1837. Then came a Gaetano Evangelista, a writer born in 1906, there was also Alfredo Evangelista, a music composer mentioned in 1928, then came my Grandfather Angelo Evangelista

born in Rome 1891, who was to begin our barbering dynasty in Linthouse near the town of Govan

, he also had a brother named Joseph

who was to take a different path in hairdressing and become a very successful Ladies Hairdresser in London, Paris and Italy where he won many top competitions and awards from 1937 and was patronised by Leading Society and attended to Ladies for the Royal Coronation. Then came my own father Adolpho Evangelista married to Yolanda De Angelis

, both born 1923 in Scotland they had three sons Ramonde, Me and Ricardo. There’s are a few “voids” left within my research, but I haven’t finished the work on all my family connections as yet, as you can well understand it takes so much time and effort to do, but one day I will or perhaps one of my sons will take up the work.

So here we have finally arrived at me, Paul Evangelista born in 1951 and married to Connie Jannetta born 1953 both born in Edinburgh and married in Edinburgh we have two sons Paul & Vincent. Now we leap a couple of decades to my first day in my father’s barbershop in 1967 where unknown to me, I was to embark on a fantastic and interesting journey through the winding paths we sometimes take in life and it was also to be the beginning of my “life education” and to gain a variety of knowledge from my clients (not forgetting to give a good haircut in return!)

My father was a great Barber

and a great friend to many of his clients, someone to talk and joke with but ultimately walking out with a great haircut, he did teach me well in the art of barbering and that took 3yrs, and of course there were the “good times and the bad times” but his reward from all his patient efforts teaching me, was to go fishing in his day off and fish for Salmon

and he enjoyed this great occasion with his good friends once a week to some of the finest salmon rivers that are found here in Scotland. Unfortunately the only aspect that failed to “rub off” on me was his ability to tell jokes and funny stories which he was famed for in his Barbershop his clients liked that quality in him and there was many a time when the shop would be in full laughter at his jokes and gossip talk incidentally, history tells us that ancient Barbershops were centres for news, talking politics and gossip…so I think there has been no change there for a thousand years or so!

Those were very enjoyable learning years for me but eventually the urge to move on and do my own thing became overpowering and so I left to open up my own Barbershop in 1972 and after 5 yrs on my own, my father sold his barbershop in Govan and so once again we worked together for many years.

It was unfortunate that he did not live long enough to see his two fine grandsons follow in the family footsteps, I think he would be very proud to see them Barbering now, but such is life…and such is death, we all move on the best way we can.

So my story continues through to my own Barbershop which I am now in my 34th enjoyable year in the town of Johnstone and it’s friendly people (wow! doesn’t time fly when your enjoying yourself) and I give great applaud and thanks to my clientele for helping me make Evangelistas Barbershop a success through their continued loyalty and also to thank my new clients who found me though “word of mouth” and our website/webcam. I have said on numerous occasions that “ when you walk into my Barbershop your never a stranger, just a friend that I haven’t yet met”

I must tell you a story from the first few weeks in my own barbershop, so here we have a young Paul the Barber who had a lot of life learning to do and one day this guy came in to have his hair cut, and so we were chatting about where I came from and how the new barbershop was doing, just the normal kind of chat, and so after he paid for his haircut he mentioned that he worked in a nearby factory that produced Olive Oil and said that if I gave him £1.75 he would get me a 5 litre can of the stuff, so I thought it was a great opportunity and duly handed over the money thinking it was a great deal, I had expected his return but low and behold…I never did see him again!

Stupid me! Who has ever heard of a factory in Scotland that produces Olive Oil, he must have thought here was a right mug and very “green behind the ears”, so as the day wore on and he had failed to turn up, I asked another customer if there was such a local factory, his smiling reply was, not that I’m aware of, why do you want to know? I was too embarrassed to tell him the story of the guy whom I gave over money for the “local Olive Oil”, so there lay my first valuable lesson in business!