When Al Hamer opened Al’s Yankee Clipper nearly five decades ago, he received some discouraging advice.

“An old barber in Mattapoisett told me that I’ll never make a living in Marion,” Hamer recalled, then laughed. “And he was right about that, but I’ve made a lot of friends and enjoyed every minute of it.”

Hamer opened shop at 428 Wareham Road on July 1, 1965 in what had been an abandoned gas station. Since then, he’s given haircuts to ballplayers, actors, Santa Claus (if you believe it) and “Marion’s oldest hippie.”

Hamer tells the story of how he and his wife befriended a St. Nick look-alike while vacationing in Florida with such warmth and humor it seems plausible that he was the real deal.

“It was tough walking through a restaurant with him because kids wanted to tell him what they wanted for Christmas,” Hamer said. “People would constantly stop him and ask for a photograph.”

In addition to Santa, Hamer’s customers have been coming for conversation and no-nonsense haircuts since he graduated barber school.

A Rochester resident, Hamer grew up with his mother operating a beauty salon inside the family home. He started cutting hair as a kid, using his own head for practice.

“I got pretty good at it,” he said.

Soon after, friends asked for the flat-top style Hamer had perfected.

As for how he decided to take up barbering, the answer differs depending on who you ask.

According to Hamer, he learned the trade after not knowing what to pursue in college: “My father told me, ‘Don’t waste your time or my money.’”

Sally, Hamer’s wife of 41 years, has a different version.

As a volunteer firefighter Hamer had broken his elbow during a call. The cast was set in such a way that Hamer could cut hair. Otherwise, his chosen profession might have been very different.

“Before we were married, he told me if the cast had allowed him to hold a paintbrush, he would have gone to art school instead,” Sally said.

Whether that’s wholly true or not, it’s hard to say, but it’s a good story.

When it comes to Hamer’s clients through the years, it’s not an embellishment to say there are a few VIPs.

One day early on, former Red Sox center fielder Dom DiMaggio walked into the shop with his older brother, Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio. Dom had a summer home in town at the time. In his later years, Dom moved to Marion year round.

Hamer said he’s given haircuts to summer resident James Spader when the movie and television star was “young enough to need a booster board.”

Other clients aren’t as famous, but are well known to locals. Marion’s Police Chief Lincoln Miller received his first haircut from Hamer.

Former resident Wayne Ladner was known for his long hair and laid back nature in the early 1970s.

“He was Marion’s oldest hippie, a great guy,” Hamer said. “He would hang out at the beach, chase girls and do a little bit of work when he felt like it.”

In June of 1969, Ladner and Hamer got together for a photo shoot. Shears in hand, it appears that Hamer is giving Ladner a much-needed trim.

“We did that as a put on,” Hamer recalled.

Besides offering haircuts, Hamer has helped raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society through the years. Both he and Sally are cancer survivors.

Al has photographed and produced calendars sold to raise money. In 2005, 12 local female cancer survivors were featured on the calendar in various outfits, including Sally.

In December, the barbershop becomes a Christmas store with all proceeds going to cancer research.

Last year, the couple helped raise $12,000, and this year that figure was $13,000.

Outside of the shop Al and Sally were avid motorcyclists up until last year. Atop his Harley Davidson, the couple have traveled to Prince Edward Island, Key West, Florida and Sedona, Arizona.

Looking back on 50 years, Hamer said he doesn’t plan on retiring soon. But when he does, he knows exactly who will get the final cut.

“I remember my first customer. His name is Nelson Adams Jr. and he rode up on his bike. It doesn’t seem like fifty years ago,” Hamer said. “He’s got to be the last person whose hair I cut when I decide to quit.”