Giuseppe “Joe” Commisso was known to generations of North Shore residents as “Joe the Barber,” a beloved member of the Manhasset community. Now, his name will adorn the street where he cut hair for 40 years.
Friends and family of the late Commisso gathered at the intersection of Plandome Road and Orchard Street on Tuesday afternoon to unveil an honorary street sign designating Joe “the Barber” Commisso Road, across from the 495 Plandome Road storefront where he operated for years.
A native of Reggio Calabria, Italy, born on Oct. 30, 1933, Commisso emigrated to the United States in 1961, and found work at a barbershop on Plandome Road. He later bought the business with his brother-in-law, and Joseph’s Haircutters formally opened on April 1, 1980.
After four decades with his shop, during which Joseph’s Haircutters gave thousands of haircuts to multiple generations of local residents, Commisso was preparing to step away from the business when he died Jan. 30, 2020, at the age of 86.
Following efforts from Commisso’s family, friends and former clients, the Town of North Hempstead voted in recent months to honor him with the honorary street sign.
Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey introduced the motion to honor Commisso with the street sign and was on hand to unveil it at the dedication, also speaking of the honor’s relevance in the age of COVID-19.
“It’s only now that we’re starting to go back to the hairdresser or to the barber or to the coffee shop, and we realize how important those places are to building and maintaining a community,” Lurvey said at the event. “And that is what Joe did for all of the years.”
Town Clerk Wayne Wink said the sign represented not only Commisso, but the small-business owners and community members who had dedicated their lives to serving the downtown areas.
“It’s not just about remembering Joe, it’s about remembering everybody who makes the downtowns here, throughout the community, throughout the Town of North Hempstead, because obviously in times like we’ve gone through the last year, downtowns mean more to us than ever,” Wink said. “So to remember Joe is to remember all those people who made this downtown great, and who will make them great again.”
Also present, along with Lurvey and Wink, were Commisso’s widow and wife of 58 years, Rosa, and their daughters Rosa Fazzolari and Maria Commisso.
“I want to thank you all for loving Dad, and for honoring Dad,” Maria Commisso told those gathered. “Thank you, thank you.”
