Boutiques Bump Off Barbers' Business

You can still find barber poles, shaving mugs and $3.50 haircuts in Cambridge, but it is harder than it was five years ago: men are now avoiding barber shops and patronizing unisex hairstyling salons.

Peter Sideris, a barber at a Brattle St. barber shop, said yesterday, "People think they will get chopped up by oldtimers, so men have started to abandon traditional barber shops."

Nicholas Lombardi, of the 78-year-old La Flamme barber shop, said yesterday that because of the competition with salons, "We're just barely making ends meet."

"If we can hang on for a few more years, though, I think we can make it because men will come back to real haircuts," Lombardi said.

Style-conscious

Most hair stylists think that men are becoming more conscious about their appearance so they desire the extra services that the salons provide.

"It takes more than just technical skill