Holmdel Barber Offered Haircuts for the Unemployed

Carol D'Oriano of Holmdel hears a lot of stories in her Palmer Avenue barber shop. Some of them are about the hard times people are facing in the bleak job market.

She wanted to something to help. So on Sunday, her staff volunteered to open up shop and offered free haircuts to the unemployed. It was the first time Carol's Shore Cuts sponsored such an event. She didn't know what to expect, but seven men and one woman ventured, each with an unemployment check stub to show.

"They told stories about how they can't get a job, don't have interviews," she said. "Some of them said they were in a rut, and put on weight, and gotten lazy about grooming."

"I hope a new haircut helps them land a job," said D'Oriano.

first announced the Oct. 9 event on Holmdel Patch, back on August 10. Since then other businesses at the Mielville strip mall said they wanted to pitch in. The commercial center is on Palmer Avenue, between Middle Road and Route 36, at the intersection of Holmdel, Hazlet, and Middletown.

Miggs Place, the luncheonette owned by the Migliaccio family of Middletown, sent over 48 deli meat finger sandwiches, and their remarkable homemade crumb-cake. "We do have unemployed customers who come in," said Jill Migliaccio. "Everybody is trying real hard." She said the family-like atmosphere at her place allows for networking. A man recently got a substitute bus driver job through a tip from an employed customer.

Cookienapped donated their famous homemade cookies to customers at Carol's Shore Cuts. 

Bloomin Tails, the Dog Groomer in our strip mall, donated $5 for every appointment made to raise money for breast cancer, and held a free raffle for a dog's bath.