With a 1940s barber pole marking the outside and the fresh smell of a clean shave wafting from the window, the new single-chair barbershop is impossible to miss from downtown Pittsfield.

Elm Street Barbershop opened on April 2 and combines a nostalgic love for the classic profession with the personal flavor of owner Glenn Martel.

Martel, who moved to Pittsfield three years ago, pays homage to his lifelong dream and his childhood memories of Charlie’s Barbershop in Brentwood with a vintage barber chair in the center of the small salon.

To add more of his own character, he has a “take a book, leave a book” shelf and two American flag display cases from both of his grandfathers, who each served during World War II. The walls also feature two finger paintings made by each his young sons hanging above the waiting bench. The paintings read, “You are my superhero” and “The Best Daddy Shark.”

“I try to give a little piece of everything I like in my own personal life in here,” he said.

After working as a professional barber for 11 years, Martel, 36, opened his first shop on April 2.

“It started when I was a kid. My dad took me to Charlie’s Barbershop [and]…I fell in love with the smells and sounds, all of it,” he said.

Now, 30 years later, Martel plans to put his all into the shop.

“I want everybody in town…to know that they can come in and say ‘Hi’ and shoot the breeze and grab a bottle of water and carry about their day,” he said.

To build his business, Martel has reached out to fellow establishments and schools to foster more community by displaying local business cards in the shop, sponsoring school sports and offering discounts for seniors, military and first responders.

After working with a rookie baseball team this past season, he offered to give the kids free first day of school haircuts for their hard work. Going forward, he hopes to mentor high school students who have expressed interest in barbering after seeing the red, white and blue pole on Elm Street.

“I’m trying to grow to be a pillar of the community. To me, that’s what the barbershop should be. Everybody should be able to come here and feel comfortable and feel safe,” he said.

Outside of Elm Street Barbershop, Martel also works at Stanley’s Barbershop in Manchester, where he has been for three and a half years. Martel has reduced his hours at Stanley’s and will eventually leave altogether for Elm Street. John Stewart, the owner of Stanley’s, said the shop will miss Martel.

“I think he’s going to do great at Elm Street Barbershop. He’s really motivated and he’s a really good worker and excellent barber,” Stewart said.

Martel credits a lot of his growth to his time there and plans on staying until he has built a stronger following in Pittsfield, but he loves being his own boss.

“Coming here and making my own rules and playing what I want on the radio and having a good time is the ultimate goal, and I get to do it every single day,” he said.

Considering both walk-ins and scheduled appointments, Martel did 75 haircuts in June, a record thus far for his business. This gave him hope for the barbershop’s direction and reaffirmed his plans to stay in Pittsfield for a long time.

“I just hope that I can keep my community happy for the years to come. I always want to have people smile when they’re talking about Elm Street Barbershop,” he said.

Kiera McLaughlin can be reached at kmclaughlin@cmonitor.com