By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
The Bear's still in his den, but he's sitting down in the renovated shop.
A new sign, "Bakeman Barbers - the King of Cuts" is ready to be installed, although the lift equipment outside the window is painting Zeke's adjacent building.
Pat Bakeman moved to East Lansing after graduating from Union High School in 1998 with Benny Peters.
In fact, they roomed together during barber college in Lansing.
Sunday is Bakeman's first wedding anniversary to Ravan, "the Martha Stewart of Dowagiac."
Bakeman got a job cutting hair in the Detroit suburb of Northville and worked there for six years.
But "I always wanted to come back here," he said Wednesday, his first day in business.
For Bakeman's grand opening Saturday the first 20 customers will receive shirts.
His mother, Anne, who works for Felpausch Food Center, grew up serving burgers and selling candy to parochial school children at Callahan's on N. Front Street, across from Holy Maternity of Mary Catholic Church.
Traditional barber shops are making a comeback, as Bakeman and Peters can attest.
Gardner had just turned 18 Sept. 23, 1962, when he went to barber college Oct. 17. What took nine months then has expanded to a year - 2,000 hours of instruction.
The Bakemans have collectively logged about 300 hours working until 1 a.m. for the previous eight days. Sunday was a 17-hour day.
Bakeman's passion for sports is evident in the motif of framed Sports Illustrated covers, a poster of Berrien Springs resident Muhammad Ali knocking out Sonny Liston, a movie poster of the golf comedy "Caddyshack" with Bill Murray and his framed tickets from last month's All-Star Game at Comerica Park.
Bakeman reflects the tug Chicago and Detroit exert over southwest Michigan sports passions.
He's wearing a Tigers jersey as he snips while standing beneath a Cubs sign when he says he prefers the Bears to the Lions in football.
Bakeman is the youngest of three boys. "My dad and my brothers were in the National Guard and they always needed their necks trimmed. I would always do it for them. I always had the worst haircut around because I'd go get one and decide that I could do more. Pictures of me when I was younger are pretty funny."
Pat's brother Tom is moving back to Michigan from Oklahoma. Rob sells boats in Novi.
When Anne suggested barber college, "I thought, maybe that is what I'm meant to do," Pat said. "That's what I've always tried to do, cutting my own hair and my buddies' hair at Gus Mackers."
Gardner moved the Bear's Den to 101 S. Front St. at the busy corner with Division Street after three years on a side street. It had been the location of Baschnagle's Skates and Rags.
Hours are: Monday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; and closed Sunday.