St. Clair Shores — If you give Joe Caruso a project he’s completely unfamiliar with, he’ll not only master that project, but he’ll teach it to you and anyone else who wants to learn.
Because if you’re going to do something, do it right, says Caruso, 68, who celebrates his golden anniversary as a barber this year.
Caruso grew up on Detroit’s east-side, where he and his family were members of St. Margaret Mary Parish. When he was 18, his father encouraged him to become a barber— a vocation he’s been committed to ever since. Along the way, he’s picked up a few extra hobbies here and there, to say the very least.
No matter his interest, he admits he throws himself into any and everything he does. And his wife of 48 years, Marie, most assuredly agrees.
When Marie signed him and their three children up for a gym membership in the early 1980s, Joe was drawn to the aerobics classes, primarily because of the music, which had been a lifelong interest of his since he was a child.
He liked the classes so much, in fact, that he decided to go to school and earn a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Oakland University. In addition, he began eating healthier, and quit smoking. Thirty years later, every morning he does 100 sit ups and 20 to 40 push-ups. He also even runs three to four miles five days a week.
At the time, he focused all his efforts on anything related to health, so much so that for nearly 10 years, he quit playing music.
“Music takes time, and I didn’t put the time into it,” recalls Joe, who plays clarinet and saxophone. He had a different goal in mind of teaching physical education classes on location to seniors living in retirement homes, but was a bit ahead of his time as it was a new idea for many.
There was interest in the concept, but not so much that there was a commitment from those he sought. As a result, Joe went back to dedicating himself to his barber shop, Caruso’s Hairstyling, on Harper Road in St. Clair Shores, which he completely renovated in the mid-1990s.
“It worked out pretty well,” says Joe. “This was a turning point.”
It turned out so well, in fact, that his barber shop earned a beautification award from the city of St. Clair Shores.
Mike Suhy is a customer and friend who first met Joe 42 years ago. He sang his praises.
“Joe is a principled individual,” says Suhy. “He’s very steady and doesn’t waver. He has strong beliefs and a great personality, and he’s a great entertainer.”
Suhy was living in Detroit when he met Joe, but now lives in Shelby Township, where he is a member of St. Kieran Parish. It doesn’t matter where he lives, though, says Suhy, as “I’d drive that far to see him.”
Suhy recalled a story when, in 1998, he had a ruptured appendix and wasn’t doing well. Joe went to his home to cut his hair.
“I don’t know too many barbers who would do that,” he says.
Joe is a truly a man of character, he adds: “It’s been a positive experience knowing him all these years as a barber and customer.”
Though barbering was something he excelled in, Joe was starting to feel too comfortable — or complacent, as he might say — that he needed something else. He set another goal for himself.
“I wanted to improve my music as much as I could,” he says. “It’s personal satisfaction. I started going in the basement to practice two hours every day. I enjoy performing, and to perform well, you have to practice.”
Having a goal of any kind is important, he says. It’s something he lives by. “You are never too old to have goals. Everybody should have goals… everybody should have something they want to do,” he stresses.
His first love is, and always has been, music, he says. Nearly every Saturday, one can find him performing at Luciano’s Restaurant in Clinton Township with his singing partner, Gina Nowicki.
He’s been playing music since he was a little boy and continues to find it a constant source of comfort and relaxation. “It’s hard to put into words,” he says. “I enjoy listening to it, playing it and having it around me.”
His drive and ambition are as constant as the day is long, says Marie. Without her support, Joe says he would not have been able to be as intensive in his projects as he was (and still is). “She has been through a lot with me,” he says as he looks her way. “She’s always been here for me.”
Attending Mass is as much as part of his life as is his family and music. “Even on vacation, we make sure we go to church,” he says. “I don’t know how people can get by without it.”
Marie agrees, saying that their faith is a bond that helps to keep their relationship vibrant.
Along with the support of Marie, his faith is equally as steadfast. Joe, a eucharistic minister at St. Lawrence Parish, Utica, says faith and family are extremely important to him.
