Mendocino Gems / Johnson-Stauer Building

Some Mendocino storefronts do not need a big sign to get noticed — the building does half the work before the door is even open.

Overview

Mendocino Gems occupies the ground floor of the historic Johnson-Stauer Building at 10483 Lansing Street, at the corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets. Today it is a jewelry studio and gallery specializing in handcrafted work, precious metals, gemstones, custom design, repairs and pieces by local artists. The business continues to list 10483 Lansing Street as its Mendocino address.

But jewelry is only the newest part of a storefront with a particularly strong barbershop history.

Location

The building stands on the northeast corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets in downtown Mendocino. Its prominent corner position, false-front appearance and upstairs windows have made it an easily recognizable part of the village streetscape.

The upper floor has also long been remembered as residential space, and a community reply to this post notes that apartments remain upstairs.

History

Kelley House Museum identifies the property as the Johnson-Stauer Building and documents a long period of barbering on the ground floor. Beginning in 1948, the downstairs storefront became home to a succession of barber shops. Jerry McIntyre operated here from 1958 until 1975, followed by Mitch Ortiz, who ran the barbershop from 1975 until 2009.

The barber pole became almost as recognizable as the storefront itself. Kelley House Museum has a photograph of Angela Lansbury standing beneath it during filming of Murder, She Wrote and identifies the location specifically as Mitch's Barber Shop at Lansing and Ukiah Streets.

The building also became part of Mendocino's long screen history. Community memory recalls the storefront appearing as a doctor's office in the horror film Dead & Buried. The Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce confirms that the 1980 production filmed extensively along Lansing Street and elsewhere around Mendocino.

Another television transformation followed a few years later. Kelley House Museum records that in 1987 the barbershop appeared as "Loretta's Beauty Shop" during the fourth season of Murder, She Wrote.

The Building Today

After Mitch Ortiz's long tenure ended in 2009, the ground floor eventually took on a very different identity. Today Mendocino Gems fills the old barbershop storefront with jewelry, gemstones and locally made artwork. The official Mendocino Gems site describes the shop as both a jewelry studio and gallery and says it also performs custom work, heirloom redesign and jewelry repair.

Why It Matters

It is a good example of the way Mendocino buildings keep changing without completely losing what came before. The barber chairs are gone, but people who knew the corner decades ago can still look at the building and see Jerry's shop, Mitch's barber pole, movie crews on Lansing Street and fifty-cent haircuts.

Community Memories

One person remembers getting haircuts here from Jerry McIntyre and recalled an unforgettable afternoon in the fall of 1964. While waiting for a haircut, a telephone call came in for another customer who was working as an assistant producer on Chevrolet commercials being filmed on the newly built Heeser Drive. The young messenger carried word to the film crew and, in exchange, had his fifty-cent haircut paid for. He also got an early look at the redesigned 1965 Corvair.

Other memories simply call the place Mitch's Barber Shop, a name that remained attached to the corner for decades.

Timeline

1948 — The downstairs storefront of the Johnson-Stauer Building becomes home to a succession of barber shops.

1958–1975 — Jerry McIntyre operates the barbershop.

1975–2009 — Mitch Ortiz runs the shop, long known as Mitch's Barber Shop.

1980 — The storefront appears in the horror film Dead & Buried.

1987 — The barbershop appears as "Loretta's Beauty Shop" in the fourth season of Murder, She Wrote.

Today — Mendocino Gems occupies the ground floor as a jewelry studio and gallery.

Sources & Original Research: Kelley House Museum, Johnson-Stauer Building history, documenting the succession of barber shops beginning in 1948, Jerry McIntyre from 1958 to 1975, Mitch Ortiz from 1975 to 2009, and the building's appearance in Murder, She Wrote; Kelley House Museum Angela Lansbury digital exhibit identifying Mitch's Barber Shop at Lansing and Ukiah Streets; Mendocino Gems official website and Visit Mendocino listing confirming the present jewelry gallery at 10483 Lansing Street; Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce film-location history for Dead & Buried and other productions filmed in Mendocino; original post text and photograph provided by Gee Bee; Facebook comment thread provided by Gee Bee with memories from Gee Bee, Chuck Ross, David John Thompson and Jeni Lee Smith.