LI Star Wars Barbershop A Museum — And 'Force' For Good

ROCKY POINT, NY — A child-size stand-up Darth Vader action figure with the Sith lord's signature red lightsaber drawn at oncoming traffic stands flanked with two stormtroopers grasping blasters outside of Anthony's Star Wars Barber Shop in Rocky Point.

Visitors entering the parking lot off of Broadway are greeted by a TIE Fighter mailbox and a blowup of Boba Fett.

For the longest time, there was an ominous door-length poster of Darth Vader on the inside of the shop's door, and in good weather, it was kept open. If someone looked too quickly in that direction, they might have thought Vader was getting a haircut himself — if it wasn't already melted away by lava, of course.

Definitely cause for a double-take.

But the scene outside was only a peek of what one sees inside: nothing but eye candy for young and young-at-heart toy lovers.

"A lot of people drive by and wonder what this is," said longtime owner Anthony Ciaravino, whose nickname is "the Star Wars Barber" for his shop’s galaxy far, far away decor.

Beyond the sentries outside, the shop is crammed with Star Wars-themed memorabilia, including a vintage pinball machine, a replica of an anguished-looking Han Solo frozen in carbonite, and on the back wall, between two barber chairs and in front of old school round mirrors, is a giant display of action figures in a battle scene from "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back."

The 1980 movie was playing on a flat screen in the seating area, lending to the off-beat ambiance — there's always plenty of sound effects going on at Anthony's. Classic theme movies are played on a mounted television, and they are often weather-coordinated.

"If it's a snowy day, we play 'Empire,'" he said, adding that rainy days are reserved for "Waterworld."

There's also plenty of John Candy comedies in between.

Anthony's is not just for haircuts — a number of activities await.

One is just looking around. Anthony’s is a small toy museum specializing in 70s, 80s, and 90s action figures — not dolls.

There are also He-man Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats, Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Battlestar Galactica, and World Wrestling Federation action figures, not to mention a few of the Smurfs here and there.

Remember the little blue guys' theme? "La la la-la la la" is hard to forget for kids of the 80s.

McDonald's Happy Meal toys like the Hamburgler, as well as vintage Star Wars collector glasses, also have a presence.

"I love it when people come in and they say, 'You know, I used to have that when I was a kid, and they go, 'Oh, my God,'" Anthony said. "They remember a toy and you pull it out of a box ... you see them become a kid for a moment. Like, wow, you almost see their whole life stop and it takes them back to that one minute when they got it for Christmas or for their birthday."

"It's just a great feeling seeing someone with an old toy," he added.

One of his great memories is from when his Dad, Joe, gave him a Fonzie Sit-on-it bike, named after the beloved Harry Winkler character from "Happy Days" as a child. So giving adults a glimpse of their own past is an amazing feeling for him.

"If I can give that to everyone as they see a toy, I think it's great," he said. "As the generation's shifting, kids are not as into toys anymore."

Younger kids are now into sneakers and watches, which is a definite sign the times are changing, he opined, adding, that it's "so cool for the kids to collect things or vintage toys and try to keep a hobby alive."

At Anthony's, clients can sit on a long, L-shaped seat and gaze in awe at the collection amassed over the years or look for "Woof," the dog from the "Where's Waldo?" children’s book series.

"It's just fun," Anthony said. "If you find him, you can move him."

Anyone who does find the wayward pooch in Anthony's menagerie gets a free haircut.

Sitting in one of the barber chairs can be a delight whether you're a kid, a Dad, or a Peter Pan still looking for his Wendy.

In the front parlor, there's a mini-arcade where you can blow off steam chancing your hand at Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Asteroids, or other 80s-themed video games, and foosball, all free of charge. You can also get a free haircut if you achieve a high score in one of the games.

"It takes them back to the 80s for those that remember," Anthony said. "If you see a father and a son playing a game of foosball and they're not on their phone for five minutes, it just makes you feel good. They are spending some quality time making great memories."

Fun and games aside, there are also lessons to be had at Anthony's barber shop. He keeps a toy donation bin where kids can trade toys because "not every kid has money."

"So if you want to take a toy, you have to bring me back a toy," he said.

They can also do a chore, like pick up the sweeper and clean the floor.

"Some stuff is unaffordable for a kid," he says.

But his process is one that teaches them value.

His Origin Story

Anthony was part of the first generation of children to be introduced to the Star Wars universe in 1977 with the release of George Lucas' "Episode IV: A New Hope."

He was only 7 years old, and that Christmas, he happened to receive a double set of action figures. His mother told him he should sell the second set, but he questioned why and ended up holding on to them as he began to collect.

The collection grew over the years, and when his father gave him his barber shop to run 36 years ago, he decided to incorporate his love of Star Wars and 80s toys into the shop after a customer challenged him — rolling his eyes — that he did not have an action figure in the original box.

He decided to bring it in as proof back in 1993 and from there, the shop's collection grew.

"I started by bringing something to show him and then little by little, it stayed here, became a good conversation piece," he said. "Then we just started buying and selling and trading with other people."

The shop is a combination of barbershop and buy and sell, so people come to get haircuts, but also to buy, trade, sell, and get appraisals for toys and other memorabilia. There's also some space for action figures where a local child sells and makes about $20 a month.

The Jedi Master Behind The Chair

Now back to the haircuts.

They are only $20, but by appointment only, even for Jedis.

In his time, Anthony has cut a few clients' long hair very short, but for one long braid like a Jedi in training. He has styled men for Comic Con in New York City (You have to make sure the beard is just right). It's been done free of charge as a way of giving back to the community.

But, sorry, ladies — Anthony mostly cuts men's hair. Nothing personal, it's just not his specialty. Though he will, on occasion, cut ladies' washed, conditioned, and combed locks.

In his time cutting hair over the years, he has become known to help people in need of haircuts who cannot afford them.

He once knew of a man who was out of work, but could not afford a haircut, so he offered, reminding him of all the times that he placed $20 on the counter when the haircut was only $15.

Another man he helped ended up repaying him with a good deal on a television set years later after he landed a job with a free haircut and kept it with another free one. At the time the man only had an extra $12 a day to get back and forth to work and have lunch, but Anthony helped him out.

He's also helped out homeless shelters and churches, but now people come directly to him.

Sometimes they plead, "Don't embarrass me," he said.

But he doesn't see any shame in needing help.

"Some people are still jammed up," he said, adding that haircuts are an added expense. "Some people legitimately are just on hard times."

He does his best to get his clients to leave their troubles at his door as he peppers them with ice-breakers. He'll ask a 70 or 80-year-old man what their first car was.

"They look at you and their whole face goes, 'What?'" he said. "They'll go, 'Tony, my first car was a 194o Packard. We used to go to the movies and pack all of our friends in that car, Tony.' And, again, it's just that 10 minutes of just forget about the world."

Sometimes a client will come back and tell him that he bought a model to build with their grandson.

"That is awesome," he said. "I love to hear that."

The 'Force'

Even off-duty from barbering, Anthony is still Jedi-ing, kind of. He donates his time by making appearances in the full uniform of Boba Fett at Comic Con, as well as at schools, and hospitals.

Though he loves Star Wars, it is not necessarily the otherworldly "force," or power that moves the characters to stand up for what is right and fight against the dark side, that has inspired him to help others and try to brighten their day.

He credits his background in the Christian church where his uncle is a minister.

"Star Wars helped, of course," Anthony said.

If he had to go back in time and tell his younger self what his life is like now, he would give the same advice that he tells his children: treat every day like it could be your last day, "try to live and enjoy it."

He texts his children daily, telling them to have an "amazing" or "powerful day."

"If you can't have an amazing day, try to make sure that someone else had an amazing day," he said. "You are entitled to have a bad day. You woke up and don't feel good. If you have a bad day, maybe make someone else have a good day."

"I got very little regrets," he added.

Throughout the year, Anthony's stays pretty much the same, but on May the 4th, the unofficial Star Wars holiday, he goes all out with costumes and plays George Lucas' movies all day for his clients. He also encourages clients to dress up as well. In the grander scheme of things, he does hope one day to have an outdoor movie night with the projection of the movie against the wall outside of his shop, costumed characters, and popcorn.

"Usually, it's been cold weather for the last two years," he said, adding that if he could pull off the event, it would be "a great night."

For Anthony, it's fun to come to work and play all day" because of the cool people he gets to meet.

"And, I think that even when people come in here having a bad day, they leave here smiling," he said. "That's really the funnest thing, like, when people come in here and even just forget their weight of the world for 20 minutes, just to come in here and play a video game or get a great memory. That's probably really what makes it 'the most' at the end of the day."

It seems "the force" is always with him.