Removal Of Anatolian Gyro Sign Reveals A Bit Of Sheepshead Bay History

Strolling by the 1605 Sheepshead Bay Road storefront recently vacated by Anatolian Gyro (which has moved around the corner to 2623 East 16th Street) will give you a little glimpse into Sheepshead Bay’s commercial history: a portion of the sign from the long-lived Izzo’s Barber Shop is now on display after Anatolian’s sign was pulled down.

I can’t find a certain date for when Izzo’s opened and closed, but it was there for a broad chunk of the mid-20th century, leading up to at least the 1980s, where the storefront (with updated signage) can be seen in a Department of Finance tax photo:

I believe it was called Izzo’s Clippers, though it’s hard to say from the photo and it was long before my time.

I pinged reader and local history buff Lisanne Anderson to see if she could help pinpoint the timeframe. She wasn’t sure, but did confirm that it was owned by Peter Izzo, who lived from 1903 to 1984. The Izzos are one of Sheepshead Bay’s anchor families, having been involved in building much of the community throughout the 1900s, and Peter was uncle to the area’s most famous resident, Vince Lombardi.

There’s a plaque dedicated to Izzo, who was apparently known as Mr. Sheepshead Bay, at Bill Brown Square (too frequently incorrectly called Vince Lombardi Square, at East 17th Street and Jerome Avenue).

Lisanne added that in the shop’s later years, Izzo had hired younger help and only came into the shop to attend to long-time patrons.

Can anyone else fill us in on the history of Izzo’s barber shop? Let us know in the comments!

Update (12:19 p.m.): A little post-publishing research turned up this amusing article from the September 3, 1934, Brooklyn Eagle, in which the 64-member Izzo clan stayed at Peter’s house for a family reunion field day:

Furthermore, Wikipedia notes that Vince Lombardi’s grandfather, and Peter Izzo’s father, Anthony, opened a barber shop in Sheepshead Bay before the turn of the century. While no address is given, a September 15, 1915, edition of the Daily Eagle notes that Tony’s barbershop was caught up in some illegal betting operations. It gave the address as Shore Road and Jerome Place, the former names for Sheepshead Bay Road and Jerome Avenue, pretty much exactly where the storefront is: