Oct 14, 2025
Today on Life in LA, I sat down with a man who’s
been part of Magnolia’s story for nearly six decades. Don Higdon
began barbering on the square back in 1966, when a shop might have
just one pair of electric clippers that all three barbers shared.
Since then, he’s seen every hairstyle imaginable come and go — from
the flat top and the GI cut to the mullet and beyond — and he’s had
a front-row seat to the conversations, laughter, and life stories
that passed through his chair.
But there’s a lot more to Don than just a good haircut. In our
conversation, I learned about the wedding he once kept secret from
his father-in-law, the seasons he spent working in the oil field
between barbering, and even his hidden talent for writing — short
stories, a novel, and a little freelance journalism along the
way.
These days, Don and his wife, Carla, still keep busy helping their
daughter and son-in-law, Sunny and Jack Daniels, at the Pumpkin
Patch at Miracle Farms in Bodcaw. The old sign for Don’s Barbershop
still stands on North Vine Street, though the building now serves
as a deer camp — a fitting reminder of a long and colorful
career.
I really enjoyed visiting with Don, swapping stories, and
reminiscing about what it was like to get a haircut in the good old
days — and I’ll admit, I wish I still had as much hair today as I
did back then.
So, settle in and enjoy this conversation with Magnolia’s longtime
barber and storyteller, Don Higdon.