When you walk into American Haircuts in midtown Atlanta or their outpost in Roswell, Georgia, you immediately get a sense that this is a contemporary take on the traditional (nearly forgotten) barbershop, and all the Norman Rockwell imagery that comes with it. There’s the old red, white and blue barber pole, the bright Barbicide disinfectant glass jars, the “official hairstyles for men and boys” poster, the… oh, wait – is that Jack Daniels? Maker’s Mark? I don’t remember that in any Norman Rockwell painting. Indeed, if Thirsty South were to endorse a shave and a haircut, it would certainly be at American Haircuts. For the Jack, for the hot lather shaves, for the barbershop-era hospitality. They even have their own guide to food and drink in Atlanta! Just don’t confuse the hair tonic for tonic when you’re having that drink…
By the way, in working on this post, we discovered that Norman Rockwell did indeed produce a few whiskey advertisements in his day. Schenley’s Cream of Kentucky Bourbon was a frequent Norman Rockwell subject from 1937 into the 1940’s.