Rose Hill Barber Shop

Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2014 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

IN MEMORIAM
Roy Rankin

Local news used to travel by word of mouth and there was no better place to catch up on happenings in Franconia than Roy Rankin’s barber shop. It was first located on Franconia Road across from Ward’s Corner and then in the Rose Hill Shopping Center. Rankin’s Rose Hill Barber Shop was one of the original businesses in Rose Hill when the center opened in 1961. Previously, the Safeway store sat there by its lonesome for three years. Of the originals, only the barber shop, cleaners, beauty shop and pizza parlor remain in the same location.

Roy cut hair in Franconia from 1955 until May of this year when he passed away at age 84 from an aneurism while recovering from a broken hip. Although he had sold the shop about 20 years ago, he continued to operate the chair just inside the door every Saturday until a few weeks before he died. He knew most every male in Franconia and plenty of the parents-- both male and female -- who brought their sons to get their first haircut.

Although Roy is gone, the local history conversations continue at the Rose Hill Barber Shop. Donald (Scotty) Scott, one of Roy’s first barbers, continues to hold court and cut hair every day except Thursday. He began working at the Franconia Road shop in 1960 and moved to Rose Hill two year later.

Rankin and his wife Barbara Anne moved to Northern Virginia in the 1950s when she got a job at then Cameron Station and he began cutting hair in Shirley Duke (now Foxchase). He opened his own shop in Franconia and they moved to nearby Em Street and later to Greenleaf Street. They raised three children here, sons James and Terrance and daughter Tamara. James built the cabinets that line the walls in the Museum, including those behind glass to protect valuable artifacts.

Roy was active in community organizations and was the president of the Springfield-Franconia Lions Club. The Rankins belong to Franconia United Methodist Church.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2015 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

IN MEMORIAM
George Atsiknoudas

George Atsiknoudas’ American Dream came true right here in Franconia. He didn’t strike it rich monetarily, but he did establish friendships that spanned the globe. He spent most of his 28 years in America behind a barber’s chair at the Rose Hill Barber Shop, happily cutting hair, making friends and talking about his native Greece.

George retired in 1998, returned to Greece, and died at age 82 on March 26, 2015. Word quickly raced across the Atlantic Ocean via electronic media, triggering both sadness and good memories among George’s many friends. Only last year, Roy Rankin, the owner of Rose Hill Barber Shop, passed away. He and George were institutions with most of their customers who represented a number of generations.

George Atsiknoudas gives young Brian Langley his first hair cut at the Rose Hill Barber Shop in the early 1990s. Brian is the son of Jeff Langley, who got to know George when they both lived in the Rose Hill Apartments. Brian graduated from Edison High School in 2009 and his sister Lindsay graduated a year later. The family still lives in the area, as does grandfather Dick Langley, who lived in Rose Hill, delivered the community newsletter, the Rambler, and was an officer in the Rose Hill Civic Association. Jeff called George “a very nice man” who was a friend to all.

George is survived by his wife Polly, son Michael and daughter Marianna. Polly had returned with George to Greece while Michael and daughter Marianna remained in America. The children were ages 10 years and 18 months, respectively, when George and Polly came to America in 1970.

It all began when George and Polly came here to visit his brother Angelo, who lived in Springfield and worked in a barber shop. One thing led to another and George wound up staying here and cutting hair. It wasn’t long before Rankin invited George to join the staff at his new shop in Rose Hill. Rankin had found a home in Franconia, first opening a shop on Franconia Road across from Ward’s Corner (now the Shell Station) and then moving to Rose Hill when the new center opened.

George, Polly and the two children moved into the Rose Hill apartments and stayed there until he retired. Both children attended Rose Hill Elementary, Mark Twain and Edison High School. Michael works at Gianna’s Hair Salon in Kingstowne and Marianna is employed in health care for senior citizens.

The Atsiknoudases were active in Saint Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Falls Church and had many friends in the Greek community throughout the Washington area. They were in addition to the legion of friends and customers who looked forward to visiting George at the Rose Hill Barber Shop.