Mr. Nonno Barber Shop at 609 Bloor St. W.
I first wrote this piece back in early 2020, just before the pandemic, lockdowns and the days of attempted self-barbering.
I met Fadel Alokili in 2007. Athough he had been cutting hair for some time in Iraq before coming to Canada in 2006, he was the “new” barber at Gus the Other Barber on Bloor Street. Fadel had a kind, soft-spoken way about him, and I liked him instantly.
Shortly after arriving in Canada, Fadel needed to get his English up to speed, so he enrolled in an ESL (English as a Second Language) course and then found that he would need Canadian credentials to cut hair in as well. So, he enrolled in Marca College, and before you know it, he was working at Gus’s shop where he worked for five years. But more importantly, during that time he met his wife and began a family. He has two boys who are now four and nine years old.
Wanting to stretch out a little bit, Fadel moved to Belo, a hair styling studio that was also on Bloor St. in the Location where Glass Monocle Eyewear is today and just down the street from where Gus’s shop was. After four years at that location, the store was closing, which was well timed, since Fidel had been thinking that he wanted to start his own business.
He searched and found a terrific location on the South side of Bloor near Palmerston which used to be a Laundry Shop. He worked intensely for ten straight days to get the place ready for his first haircuts. His barber shop opened on September 23, 2015, under the name Mr. Nonno, which is what his children called his good friend Frank Savazzi the owner of Frank Custom Tailor – Sewing and Alterations on Dovercourt. Frank and his family took great interest in Fadel when he first came over to Canada and in a sense, Fadel was like an adopted child, and they all became very close. When Fadel met his girlfriend, who became his wife, she was instantly welcomed into Frank's family like Fadel had been previously. They both continued a relationship with Frank’s family and a the nickname for Frank - Mr. Nonno stuck.
Just over six and a bit years later the shop is going strong. Fadel has a couple of other barbers who help during busier times and his customers are always treated with great respect. Fadel somehow managed to weather the pandemic so far with its everchanging rules and is open for business. I wish Fadel all the best and just love the story of Frank’s generosity and kindness towards Fadel and his family. With fair prices and great service, Mr. Nonno is woth a look.
If you do venture down to get a cut from Fadel let him know you read this post.
Mr. Nonno Barber Shop
609 Bloor St. W.
