El Dorado Hills barber turn to old-fashioned style shop

EL DORADO HILLS, CA - For men seeking the haircut experience they remember as a boy, Mike Cordero's new "old-fashioned" barbershop in the El Dorado Hills MarketPlace center offers nostalgia, as well as a trim.After 14 years of cutting hair at Barber Jon's big and eclectic shop in El Dorado Hills, Cordero is "trying to be different. Jon's is more large scale, with more barbers and an environment a lot different than mine," he said."I'm trying to keep the shop more traditional, the way barber shops used to be," said Cordero, "a shop like many grew up with. That's us."Mike's has three old-fashioned barber chairs and a sports theme, with two walls decorated with 60 pro sports pennants donated by a customer, some of the banners 30 to 40 years old and of collector's value. Cordeo, 40, an active outdoorsman, also has a wall area dedicated to hunting and fishing, a place where customers can post photos of their catches.Three TVs with flat screens of 26 to 32 inches also are attached to a wall so customers can watch while waiting or having their hair cut or receiving a shave.The 800-square-foot shop opened November 1, near CVS Pharmacy and next to La Bou. Mike's welcomes appointments and walk-ins.Working with Cordero are barbers Troy Geroy, 24, and Luu Try, 41. Cordero said Geroy does "an amazing job" on kids' hair design, from sports uniforms, team mascots and logos, to characters such as Popeye, action figures from the "Transformers" movies and other designs and patterns.Mike's does men's and boys' haircuts only. Prices are $20 for a regular cut for men and $16 for seniors, men in the military and boys age 13 and under. Straight-razor shaves are $20, $16 with a haircut.Cordero is active in fund raising for youth athletics and hopes to become even more involved in the community. Among his money-raising events are poker tournaments he said "get pretty serious." They're called "barber wars" and the next one on Jan. 14 will pit Mike's versus Lucky's Barber Shop in Folsom. Players will be after a prize pool of $2,200. Entry fee to play is $60.Cordero has been a Folsom resident most of his life. He lives with his wife, Liliana. They have four children, ages 5, 11, 22 and 24.Prior to working at Barber Jon's, Cordero served four years in the Marine Corps.* * *Mike's MarketPlace BarbershopWho: Mike Cordero, ownerWhere: 4540 Post Street, El Dorado HillsHours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Phone: (916) 933-6453