The Ironic And Unplanned Retirement of Mr. Alvin Bell: "Bad Things Happen To Good People Too"
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In 2019, the Chronogram ran a feature story on Beacon called "Development in the Spotlight" which featured different types of businesses who opened and closed in Beacon in recent years, and why they might have succeeded. Included in the feature was one of Beacon's most famed and loved barber, Mr. Alvin Bell. At age 54, after being downsized at the Nabisco plant that would become Dia:Beacon, which sparked Beacon's revitalization, Mr. Bell opened his salon, Main Street Beauty Salon, to continue his survival in Beacon on Main Street. He maintained the salon for over 30 years. The salon was located next to BJ’s Soul Food.
In July 2022, a spark popped in the vicinity of Mr. Bell's salon, which ended up destroying the salon. After 3pm when everyone had left for the day and the salon was empty, a woman working at the pizza shop next door saw smoke coming out of the bottom of the salon door.
Within hours, his salon was destroyed. Back in 2019, the writer of the Chronogram piece wondered if the success of some businesses was by “magic.” The end certainly went up in smoke.
Quoted from the Chronogram: "It [Beacon] is a place where people like 84-year-old barber Alvin Bell, who spent 27 years working at the Nabisco factory before it was transformed into Dia:Beacon, can open up a business that survives for 30 years and counting.
"Perhaps it's magic. But magic is what the magician does just out of sight while you're distracted by the waving handkerchief. Magic is what happens unheralded and unseen, just beyond the spotlight. You want magic? Show up and do the work," declared the reporter.
Mr. Bell’s success was not magic, but he had blessings and a good landlord along the way, helping to make success possible and his rent affordable. By the time the fire engulfed his salon, his original landlord had sold to a new owner.
The property changed hands after longtime owners, the Piccone family sold 20 parcels on the west end of Main Street to Joseph H. Donovan of Hudson Todd LLC. This included properties where businesses such as Mountain Tops, the Mountain Scout (now Utensil), Miss Vickie’s Music (now Colorant), and others were located. After the sale, long-time businesses moved around at that time so that run-down properties could be renovated and rented for presumably higher rents. Most properties were replaced by existing local Beacon businesses who were relocating and could afford the higher rent in a renovated space.
The new owners at that time, Hudson Todd LLC, worked with some business owners to find new locations. One such person was Miss Vickie’s Music, who Hudson Todd LLC’s helped move to the row of apartments behind Mr. Bell’s salon. Mr. Bell and the shoe cobbler, John’s Shoe Repair, were not moved. They stayed put, even though their spaces were quite old and not renovated.
According to Joseph H. Donovan when asked by ALBB, the sale of the building housing Mr. Bell, John’s Shoe Repair, and the apartments behind which housed Miss Vickie and others, was sold in September. Joseph told ALBB: “The sale of 201-211 Main Street closed on 14-Sep-2022. The buyer was 201-211 Main Street LLC, whose principals constructed and own the nearby building [across the street] at 206 Main Street (on the corner of Digger Phelps).”
The day of the fire, Miss Vickie saw the smoke, but neither fire nor smoke damage reached her apartment. Multiple fire engine companies were called to help put out the fire, which ended up destroying Mr. Bell’s Main Street Beauty Salon with heavy smoke damage to John’s Shoe Repair. Not holding business insurance, Mr. Bell had only what was left in the salon to start over. A GoFundMe page was started to raise cash for him, which it was later reported, he returned, which ALBB has also confirmed with his wife, Shirley. ALBB donated, and did so regardless of if he reopened or not.
Months later, it was reported by the Highlands Current that Joseph Donovan worked to secure Mr. Bell’s salon and John’s Shoe Repair Donovan locations with newly negotiated, multi-year leases. He told the newspaper: “We did that so each of the them would have stability in their current locations after the sale.”
But after the fire, he ended up terminating Mr. Bell’s lease before the sale closed, according to the article. According to the article: “But by then, the merchants had signed their leases and Donovan was scheduled to close on the sale to Fadil Mavraj, the developer of the 206-208 Main St. building, within weeks. Donovan quickly determined it would not be possible to restore the barbershop before the sale, and terminated Bell’s lease at 211 Main.”
ALBB’s interview and transcript with Mr. Bell on his feelings of his reluctant retirement is below. Listen to his voice and hear him tell it in his words.
Audio File Credit: The preparation and compression of this audio file was made possible by Tha’Max Studio and Tin Shingle.
ALBB: “Hi, this is Katie Hellmuth with A Little Beacon Blog. I am standing outside of Mr. Alvin's former salon shop here on Main Street. Hello, Mr. Bill.”
Mr. Bell: “How you doing sis?”
ALBB: “I’m good, thank you. We're standing here in front of the boards, that’s boarded up because it burnt down, a bit ago.Will you be continuing in here?”
Mr. Bell: “No I’m not.”
ALBB: “Would you still be cutting hair had it not burned down?”
Mr. Bell: “Definitely. But now with rent going sky high, it's just crazy in Beacon. I don't want to go back to that headache no more. I'd rather just...resign...you know."
Editor’s Note: Mr. Bell could barely say the word "resign."
ALBB: "Maybe if there's a chair somewhere else on Main Street? You'll be behind it? Cutting hair?"
Mr. Bell: "Oh yeah, definate, definite, I'd do that. Mostly I miss my friends. So many beautiful people in the City of Beacon. What I miss is people coming in from all over town. We sit and we'd talk. And I miss all that. And I miss all the pictures. I had pictures of everybody. That's what I miss more than cutting hair."
Editor’s Note: His salon was filled wall-to-wall with framed photos, certificates, awards and recognition. Most of which burned. A gentleman comes to interrupt:
Stranger: "Hey brother, the is your shop right here?"
Mr. Bell: "You know it brother man!" Mr. Bell continued with his infamous deep chuckle. "I miss everybody in Beacon now."
ALBB: "We saw you out here every single day."
Mr. Bell: "That's right. Sure did! And I love it. Everybody was so nice to me. Everybody in Beacon. The Chief of Police. Everybody."
ALBB: "Were you surprised when the burned down?"
Mr. Bell: "Yeah. I was very surprised."
ALBB: "How have you been feeling?"
Mr. Bell: "I've been feeling good physically and mentally, but I miss all my good friends. I miss my friends. I still got friends. Everyone says 'as long as you're in good health.' And I'm in good health. Sometimes things happen, and we don't know why they happen. I don't talk much about spirituality, only I am the central power, that kind of stuff, but, I'm a spiritual type of person. Bad things happen to good people too."
ALBB: "You brought with you today a picture of Pete Seeger. Tell us your back story.”
Mr. Bell: "And here's [a picture of an article in] A Little Beacon Blog!”
ALBB: "Yes! There's A Little Beacon Blog.
Mr. Bell: "Put that on there.”
ALBB: "Ok. Here we go. The article reads: ‘Alvin Bell Sr. Turns 85. He Was Awarded The Unofficial Mayor Of The City Of Beacon” And you were awarded that by Mayor Randy Casale at the time.”
Mr. Bell: "That's right.”
ALBB: "You're now holding the Chrongram Community Pages from May 2019, they did a huge feature of you. They were spotlighting as this was going up. And I see the 2 new apartment buildings next to he gas station. One of them was finished, and that one wasn't finished yet. They are both finished now. But there's a huge spread of you that they did on the other page, opposite that.”
Mr. Bell: "Will you take a picture of that?”
ALBB: “I will take a picture of that. Tell me about Pete Seeger. How is he in your heart?”
Mr. Bell: "Don't forget Chris. I sung with Chris. We went all over Beacon. Chris took me to places. I didn't know what was in Beacon. My favorite song is Victory is Mine. That's my favorite song. Pete used to come in - I never called him Pete.”
ALBB: "What did you call him?
Mr. Bell: "Mr. Seeger. You have to earn it. Also a picture of his wife. When she died and I went to the funeral, he gave me a beautiful picture of her. You see that? 3x Grammy. He gave it to me to put it in the shop. I had so many. I had 20, 30 award. Every Church gave me an award. But they all burn up, so. I don't know why, but. It really don't matter."
ALBB: "We are now looking at the Certificate of Recognition. For the Unofficial Mayor of Beacon. Signed by Randy Casale. The letter reads:
Dear Alvin Bell Senior:
I would like to wish you a very happy 85th birthday. You have been the unofficial mayor of the City of Beacon. Your barbershop has served Beacon residents in an exemplary fashion for nearly 3 decades. This community is grateful to have such a friendly and helpful role model. As a good friend of Pete Seeger, I know you have a good heart. Your children and those around you are blessed to learn from you every day. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the City of Beacon. Happy Birthday, and I wish you many more to come.
Signed by Mayor Randy Casale
At the end of our interview, a man driving by pulled his car over and brought out his camera. He asked if he could take a picture of Mr. Bell. Being that Mr. Bell looks so dapper every day.
“Do you know who this person is?” ALBB asked. “No,” he replied, and asked to take his picture. Mr. Bell was flattered and agreed. The man snapped his photo and turned to leave. But not without ALBB forcing this story upon him before he drove away with another icon collected in his camera.
PS: Another beauty salon has since opened in the spot where Mr. Bell’s salon was. ALBB speaks on behalf of the community in welcoming them here and wishing them good luck.
