Barbershop becomes blizzard shelter: 'People told me I saved their life'

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/barbershop-becomes-blizzard-shelter-people-told-me-i-saved-their-life/article_21411c20-8551-11ed-ab33-e36c65fbd817.html

Barbershop becomes blizzard shelter: 'People told me I saved their life'

Mark Sommer

Come one, come all.

That has been C&C Cutz barbershop owner Craig Elston's message since Friday morning, when he opened his shop at 707 Fillmore Ave. to those seeking shelter from the arctic weather conditions.

Elston, 37, was himself stranded after going into the shop to clean hair-cutting equipment. He thought he would "knock out a few haircuts," only to realize when he finished that weather conditions made it unsafe to leave.

People started coming in to the barbershop for shelter, and by that evening, 40 people stayed overnight divided between the two large rooms, with some sleeping in the reclined barber chairs, on the floor or in other chairs. Nearly 30 stayed Saturday night.

"It was crazy, man," Elston said. "People told me I saved their life, that in another three minutes they felt like they were going to die from the freezing cold. Some peoples' fingers were purple."

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