MIDDLEBURG — Even after 50 years, local barber Georgi Black still never fails to be fascinated by the stories that her clients spill.

With every word, comes a scissor snip or razor cut of hair. She listens intently. But never loses focus on the job that's in front of her. 

"And they think women gossip," she said.

As the longest-running woman barber still practicing in Clay County, cutting hair at Georgi's Barbershop will never stop being her passion. 

Her journey to becoming a licensed barber, however, was initially an accident. While in high school, she took a cosmetology course to get out of physical education class. That's where she scratched the surface of a burgeoning passion.

After her father purchased a barbershop on Blanding Boulevard, he begged her to go to barber school. She held off because she was expecting her first child. But on her birthday, he handed her a gift to remember — an envelope with her paperwork filled out and tuition already paid for.

The rest was history.

Black worked for her father for five years, before opening her own shop on College and Old Jennings Road. She moved to her current location at 3176 County Road 220 21 years ago.

Georgi's Barbershop is a community staple, where both men and women fill the waiting area. It's known for its cozy atmosphere and affordable pricing. It's where customers are family.

Appointments are on a walk-in basis, and buzz and surfer cuts are some the styles she creates on a daily basis. And, yes, mullets have made a comeback.

On her own, Black said she cuts about 15 to 22 heads a day.

"Hopefully, I get to eat but that's very rare."

She's seen generations of families, at various ages, walk through her door. Each one with a specific look that she's willing to customize.

"I like people. And apparently, I'm semi-good at this because they keep coming back. I've got customers I've been cutting [for] 50 years.

"I've got some guys that were like 14 to 16 when I started cutting their hair. And now, they're 64 to 66."

Along with her familiar customers, she still sees new faces every day. Like, Edward Austin, who had his first cut with her on Jan. 23. 

"It's a unique location. A it's nice to come in and talk to somebody, not a pressured aspect," Austin said.

As a woman barber in what used to be a man-dominated industry, Black said the beginning of her career looked a lot different. 

Because she worked at her father's shop, she was lucky. Most customers were willing to give her a chance. But that wasn't always the case.

"Most guys go to females now. But, when I first started, most guys over the age of about 65 wouldn't let me near them."

Fifty years later, she's continued to build a lasting reputation of sublimity. And Black doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Her goal is to cut hair until she's in her 90s, catching up with the county's longest-running male barber who reached 58 years.

"I don't know what I would do if I couldn't do this."