HARTFORD, Conn — He’s been part of the heartbeat of Hartford for decades. A longtime barber saw his business burglarized. But now, the community is rallying around 80-year-old Peter Tsakiris to help.
Peter’s Unisex Hairstyling on Maple Ave in Hartford was ransacked the night of Jan. 26.
“It was a shocker,” said Peter. “I just wonder why.”
The good news is no one was hurt. The bad news is everything was taken from his shop. The thief didn’t smash the glass or break down the door. Instead, the suspect was caught on camera sneaking into an alley adjacent to Peter’s Unisex Hairstyling and gaining access through a hole for an air conditioner.
“I’ll continue to do what I do as long as I’m healthy,” said Tsakiris, the owner. For Peter, barbering is in his blood. “This is home for me,” he said.
Peter started cutting hair alongside his father in Greece when he was 13 years old. Peter immigrated and opened his shop in 1965.
“My father was a barber. I had some of his tools that were about 100 years old. I lost that. We never bothered anybody, we just tried to help the neighborhood,” he explained with tears in his eyes.
Now, his neighborhood is trying to help him.
“To happen to Peter is like the worst thing possible. To a nice man like that. I feel terrible that something like that can happen,” remarked Cecelio Reis, who has been a client of the barbershop for 50 years.
The thief cleaned them out, down to the salon capes.
“I’m angry, frustrated. Devastated,” said barber Leo Negron. “They took everything. They took very expensive clippers and trimmers.”
In all, it was worth about $10,000 in monetary value. But the emotional value was priceless. When the community got word about what happened they began donating supplies to keep Peter and Leo afloat.
“I really appreciate that. It touches my heart,” said Peter.
Customers and employees say Peter has a heart as big as Hartford itself.
FOX61 asked Peter what he would say to the man who nearly stole his livelihood: “I wish them luck, that’s all.”
Police are still searching for the suspect, who is described as a man with a dark jacket with a fur hood. He was wearing a light colored hoodie, a fitted hat, light colored pants and dark sneakers.
If you would like to help Peter and the barbershop, a GoFundMe has been created.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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