Down the road, at Sharper Image Barbershop, Ron Johnson, who is black, walks into the shop and questions those inside, "You guys Eagle fans?'' Most of the barbers and customers shake their heads yes.

"Then I'm outta here,'' he said, turning to walk back out the door. But he stopped and with a big grin on his face turned and walked to an open barber chair.

Several new barbershops have emerged in Lancaster city and many are minority-owned.

The days of people gathering and hanging out at these tonsorial palaces are making a comeback and bringing together people from every walk of life.

"This is nothing,'' Champ Hall said, looking around his crowded establishment at 54 W. King St. "It gets so packed we turn people away. "The barbershop has come back to life; it has been revitalized. I hear that Lancaster is being saturated with barbershops, but there are more people, too.'' There have been movies, like "Hoosiers'' and "Barbershop'' ("Barbershop 2 Back in Business'' opens in movie theaters Feb. 6), which depict the town and neighborhood residents gathering in the barbershop to talk to the new basketball coach, discuss politics or spread the latest gossip.

"We still get people coming in to catch up on the latest gossip in the neighborhood, like [in] the movie "Barbershop,''' said James Ortega, who owns Chop Shop at 207 E. King St. "It's the same thing [as the movie], but it is real life. Some people have no jobs. They just come in here to hang out.

"We get some characters. Crack heads come in here and try to sell stuff. People come in with funny stories. They talk about their families and their kids. There's all kinds of sports talk; I'm a Giants fan, so there's a lot of yelling and screaming.'' Keep them there More barbershops are opening because it is a lucrative, cash-based business, said Tyrik Jackson, owner of Sharper Image Barbershop, 361 E. Chestnut St. He said there is an old saying, "If you hang out in a barbershop long enough, you'll get a haircut.'' But, there is a fine line between visiting and hanging out. In his shop, which opened March 31, there are five rules on a sign noticeable as you walk in. The rules include no profanity, no eating in the shop, no beverages, no sitting in barber chairs (unless getting a haircut) and no hanging out.'' He wants a friendly, professional atmosphere but no loitering.

Jackson sees barbershops as a trend on the rise, and he wants to help bring them back into popularity.

"Barbers were among the elite,'' he said. "Then, for a while, there was a notion that he's just a barber, not a professional. Barbers lost their sense of style.'' Men started going to beauty salons, Jackson said. He attempts to bring the old-time feel to his business. He takes pride that barbers in his shop are very skilled and use straight razors, something.000 used years ago in barbershops. He has old photos on the walls showing old razors. There is also a shot of an old barbershop and photos of his shop done in black and white film to give the appearance of being old. He tries to keep the place very clean and to be a good neighbor.

At Chestnut and North Plum streets, Jackson's business is near a traffic light, so when cars stop, they see his shop.000. A clean look Barbers took a big hit in the 1960s, "70s and "80s when hair was much longer. Now, styles are much shorter. It used to be a man saw a barber every six weeks or so.

Jackson said he has three or four customers who come to him twice a week, while some come in once a week and others visit every other week, "just to keep everything clean and sharp,'' he said.

Barber George Valentin, who manages Champ Hall's 456 E. King St. barber shop, said a haircut is rehabilitation for people.

"They have a tough day and come in and get a fresh look and talk sports and feel better about themselves,'' said Valentin, 21, who has been cutting hair since he was 17.

James Ortega at the Chop Shop said he notices black and Latino customers come in more regularly to keep a clean look than other customers. He said the majority of his black customers want their hair to grow out, so he lines everything up for them. In the summer, "everything comes off,'' he said.

Good listeners There is something about sitting in a barber chair that gets people to open up and start talking. Maybe it is relaxing. Maybe it is the uncomfortable silence while sitting that close to someone that starts the customer and barber into a dialogue.

"It is my experience that you are like an ear to the community,'' Hall said. "You need to keep their trust and keep what they say confident, like a bartender. One man came in and said, "I came for a haircut, but I really want to talk to you.' I have had parents talk about their child who is thinking about suicide. It is important for me not to give my opinion, but just listen. I am very reluctant to give my opinion. Sometimes people just want to talk.'' "A barber is a special type of person,'' Valentin said. "It is a special thing to make someone's day or make him feel good. We don't just talk sports; we talk about life. We are psychologists.'' Business background While listening to customers, several barbers said they make mental notes. They learn by listening, many times gaining business tips while giving a haircut.

Jackson said one of his customers owns a store and has held a meeting for Jackson and his employees about finance and credit.

"This is a business,'' Jackson said. "This is not just cutting hair. Money is not everything, but if it is not managed right you can't make money. It is easy to spend because you know you can make it tomorrow.'' He said he learns from others' mistakes and attempts to capitalize on what other people could have done better.

Sharper Image charges $10 for a haircut and $13 for a shave and a hair cut. At Hall's barber school hair cuts are $5. He said he keeps the prices low to help families with multiple children and senior citizens who can not afford to spend a lot for a cut.

Ortega said he learns as he goes but admits he should have taken business courses a long time ago. The program you need, he said, is money management; that way on the slower days you have money. Every day can't be a good day, he said.

Hall said he is currently taking a correspondence business course out of Atlanta, Ga.. Before he took any course he stumbled upon the idea of franchising. He has two barbershops and a beauty salon in addition to his barber school, which opened in October. He has 17 students at the barber school. The state requires that students complete 1,250 hours of clinic and classroom training.

In addition to the barbershop that Valentin manages on East King Street, Hall has a barbershop at 460 Locust St. in Columbia. The salon is at 731 College Ave.

"I saw an opportunity and went for it,'' Hall said. "There are not many black-run beauty salons. In Columbia there are no black barbershops. I have a white and a black barber there. I am not hurting myself by having multiple businesses. They [the customers] are still coming to me.'' Enjoyment Ortega said he enjoys the interaction with people.

He meets people from different walks of life that he wouldn't meet if it wasn't for his job. He said he likes to travel and because his customers come from many different backgrounds, he likes to ask them questions to gain a sense of where they came from.

Jackson enjoys being around people and making them laugh. He also likes the connections the job has gained him.

"Barbers are like brokers; we know everybody,'' he said. "You need something, we know somebody.'' Valentin likes the challenge of the job. Because of the variety of clients, he gets to cut different textures of hair. Every head is different, and what they want done varies, he said.

"The greatest thing is to make a client happy,'' Valentin said.