{"id":7162,"date":"2026-11-06T21:20:46","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T21:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/?page_id=7162"},"modified":"2026-11-07T00:48:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T00:48:59","slug":"orlando-orla-litrenta-1911-1999","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/features\/orlando-orla-litrenta-1911-1999\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando &#8220;Orla&#8221; Litrenta 1911-1999"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"634\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-634x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The Journal Times  \nMonday, June 22, 1998  \nHome Delivery: 634-3333\u200350 Cents  \n\nPhotos by Mark Hertzberg, Journal Times  \n\nOrla Litrenta and his barber shop are still going strong after all these years  \n\nHistory and a haircut  \n\nDan Tennessen gets a hot lather shave and a haircut from Orla Litrenta at Litrenta\u2019s State Street barber shop. Litrenta, who is 87, has cut hair out of this location since the early 1920s.  \n\nMetro on the Beat  \nBy Gary Metro  \n\nGary Metro roams Racine County looking for interesting people, places and things. Got an idea for a story? Give him a call at 634-3322, extension 230.  \n\nTime changes everything greatly, unless you\u2019re talking about the cozy confines of Orla\u2019s Barber Shop \u2014 the place with all the plants in the window, just north of where State meets Spring Street in Racine.  \n\nThis place has a worn tile floor, black-and-white barber chairs of porcelain, leather and gleaming chrome and a pedestal sink in the middle of the shop. The look of this shop was almost institutional in places where a man\u2019s hair met scissors and comb prior to the late 1960s.  \n\nIn this tiny spot of a shop, Chicago gangster Al Capone once got a shave and a haircut. Racine native and Hollywood star Frederic March also was an occasional customer \u2014 accustomed to popping in on his way to the golf course.  \n\nEverything here is as aged and well-preserved as the lore about the shop, even the sole barber and proprietor, Orlando \u201cOrla\u201d Litrenta. He\u2019s 87 and has been cutting hair in this shop since the early 1920s. But you\u2019d never guess his vintage from the pep in his step, the speed of his shears or the sparkle in his eyes.  \n\nWhat\u2019s his secret?  \n\n\u201cI like to work,\u201d he explains between haircuts. \u201cI don\u2019t drink or smoke. I used to box and I walk \u2026 I play cards with the boys at night and I eat good food \u2014 lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti. I eat a lot of pasta and a lot of vegetables.\u201d  \n\nAn afternoon at Orla\u2019s is like a trip down memory lane.  \n\nMetal chairs are lined square along the north wall, ample if not fancy seating for waiting customers. Long fluorescent fixtures dangle from the tin ceiling. An AM radio crackles steadily with the hits of several bygone ages \u2014 Louis Armstrong croaking \u201cWhat a Wonderful World,\u201d Nat King Cole crooning \u201cDance Ballerina Dance\u201d and Elvis crying \u201cIt\u2019s Now or Never.\u201d  \n\nEven the barber looks fresh from the Norman Rockwell covers of an old Saturday Evening Post. He favors pressed dress trousers (men of his age would never call them  \n\n\u25ba More on BARBER, Page 7A  \n\" class=\"wp-image-7164\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-634x1024.jpg 634w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-186x300.jpg 186w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-768x1240.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-951x1536.jpg 951w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-1268x2048.jpg 1268w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_1-history-and-a-haircut-scaled.jpg 1585w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 634px) 100vw, 634px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Racine Journal Times, June 22, 1998. Orla Litrenta and his barber shop are still going strong after all these years. History and a Haircut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"443\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-443x1024.jpg\" alt=\"BARBER \/ Customers  \nFrom Page 1A\n\npants), high-collared white barbering smocks and shiny black shoes \u2014 not the jeans, knit tops and running shoes of the poofy-haired young women who snip tresses at generic strip mall shops that carry names like \u201cHaircuts R Us.\u201d\n\nThis is a place that has been nearly forgotten by both time and inflation. When Litrenta was a young barber in the roaring and prosperous 1920s, the shop at 1675 State St. offered haircuts for $3.50 apiece. Today the price is just $6 for a haircut.\n\nThat appealing price and Litrenta\u2019s still ample skills as a barber keep folks coming through the door, even when the afternoon sun makes the interior of the brick building just a touch toasty.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find this kind of barber any more,\u201d the Rev. Pedro Lopez says as Litrenta\u2019s scissors and comb dueled a path around his scalp. \u201cHe was recommended to me by another member of our church last year. I\u2019ve been coming here ever since. He does a good job.\u201d\n\nLitrenta crops close above the customer\u2019s ears, much as he did minutes earlier with the pastor\u2019s 10-year-old son, Alex.\n\n\u201cToday was the first day I brought my son,\u201d Lopez explains. \u201cI told him not to be afraid. (Litrenta\u2019s) good.\u201d\n\nOne step remains in the standard haircut at Orla\u2019s. There is a whoosh-like sound as Litrenta works the hot lather machine, while Lopez relaxes in the highback chair.\n\n\u201cNow is the exciting part,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cHe gets out the big blade and shaves the sides.\u201d\n\nLitrenta shaves quickly with the bone-handled, straight-edge razor, navigating a slick-as-a-whistle path that leads from Lopez\u2019s right sideburn, then above the right ear, to the back of the neck and finally above the left ear to the other sideburn.\n\n\u201cThis is called trusting your barber,\u201d Lopez says.\n\nAfter whisking away the remains of the lather with quick sweeps of the menacing blade, Litrenta collects his pay and takes a short break. He sits when he tires of standing, and also will close his shop briefly to have breakfast or lunch with friends.\n\nOtherwise the place is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.\n\nThis business of barbering always has been enjoyable, Litrenta says.\n\n\u201cI like it. I talk to all kinds of people. I shoot the breeze with them and argue with them. When the politicians are here, I argue with them about politics,\u201d he says.\n\nWhen he began working in the shop in \u201c1923 or 1924\u201d the Belle City was an industrial powerhouse in a nation that looked ahead to nothing but prosperity. His customers were doctors and lawyers and business owners and regular Joes \u2014 essentially the same type of folks who still come through the door.\n\nThere also were professional boxers in the early days, and the occasional visit from the infamous and famous. Such as Capone the crook, or March the matinee idol.\n\n\u201cCapone came to visit next door and they sent him over to me for a shave. He was with two or three other guys and they just stood around. I didn\u2019t know who he was at the time,\u201d Litrenta says.\n\nHe found out later that Capone was checking on a Racine distribution spot for his bootleg booze. The shave must have gone well, too, because Litrenta recalls getting a nice tip.\n\nCapone visited one more time.\n\n\u201cHe came back the next week and got a haircut. He gave me $20,\u201d Litrenta says.\n\nMarch would stop by the shop on his way to the country club. He\u2019d get a shave and a haircut.\n\nEven the Great Depression couldn\u2019t stop the barber shop. Shops elsewhere in the city slashed their haircut prices to 25 cents or less, but Litrenta said the barbering business on State Street still expected $3.50 \u2014 and got it.\n\n\u201cThe guys that came here still had money,\u201d Litrenta explains.\n\nLife has been good for Litrenta. He and his bride, Hazel, have been married for 51 years and recently made their third trip to his native Italy. He probably could sweep the floor one last time, lock up the shop and make a full-time task of the flowers and bushes and a few vegetables he lovingly tends.\n\nThat\u2019s not his plan, however. He closes the shop whenever he feels like it now, so there\u2019s no need to retire.\n\nHis future plans include barbering, for as long as possible.\n\n\u201cI won\u2019t stop until they take me away from here,\u201d he says. \u201cI won\u2019t stop until the undertaker comes and takes me away.\u201d\" class=\"wp-image-7168\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-443x1024.jpg 443w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-130x300.jpg 130w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-768x1776.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-664x1536.jpg 664w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-885x2048.jpg 885w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1998_06_22_7-history-and-a-haircut-scaled.jpg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Continued from Page 1A. Racine Journal Times, June 22, 1998. Orla Litrenta and his barber shop are still going strong after all these years. History and a Haircut.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"579\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-579x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Orlando \u2018Orla\u2019 Litrenta\nRacine Journal Times, November 30, 1999\nRACINE \u2013 Orlando \u2018Orla\u2019 Litrenta, 88, passed away at St. Mary\u2019s Medical Center on Saturday, November 27, 1999.\n\nA Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Tuesday, November 30, 1999, at 10 a.m. with Rev. Ronald Crewe officiating, assisted by Deacon Russell Missureli. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery on Highway 32. Relatives and friends may meet with the family at the church on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until time of Mass.\n\nMARESH-MEREDITH AND ACKLAM FUNERAL HOME  \n803 Main Street\u2003\u2003634-7888\" class=\"wp-image-7171\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-579x1024.jpg 579w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-170x300.jpg 170w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-768x1359.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-868x1536.jpg 868w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-1158x2048.jpg 1158w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/The_Journal_Times_1999_11_30_10-obituary-scaled.jpg 1447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Orlando &#8220;Orla&#8221; Litrenta obituary. Racine Journal Times, November 30, 1999.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n-1024x643.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7175\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n-1024x643.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n-300x188.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n-768x482.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n-1536x965.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Gerald-Karwowski-bought-the-complete-interior-of-litrentas-barbershop-in-1998-896004156_3118870298465249_6646240385171952039_n.jpg 1794w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gerald Karwowski: I bought the complete interior of the Barbershop in 1998. It is part of my Museum collection here at Oak Clearings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":33,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7162","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7162"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7176,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7162\/revisions\/7176"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vindustries.com\/racinehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}