StylesVille Barbershop in Pacoima is honored as a Historic-Cultural Monument
Usa today news
Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and Getty officials attended a ceremony on Saturday in Pacoima, celebrating the designation of StylesVille Barbershop as a Historic-Cultural Monument.
The highlight of the event was Ollie Carter, widow of Fred Carter, who together with her husband opened the shop in 1958. Today, StylesVille Barbershop is overseen by Greg Carter Faucett, the grandson of Fred and Ollie Carter.
Rodriguez said, “We are marking and permanently protecting StylesVille, and documenting its rightful place in history here in the city of Los Angeles as the oldest Black-owned business in the San Fernando Valley.”
An ongoing project “African American Historic Places, Los Angeles” – is an effort between City of Los Angeles and Getty to preserve culturally significant sites that honor Black history and heritage.
“I want to thank everyone that’s helping to ensure that the history in the city of Los Angeles is permanently enshrined, particularly at a moment in time where we have a federal government that is trying to strip away our history,” Rodriguez said. “We are making sure that history lives to tell the story here in Pacoima and here in the city of Los Angeles.”
A row of vintage barber chairs is seen inside the historic barbershop honored as the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
The exterior of the historic barbershop honored as the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley is seen in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
Ollie Carter, widow of Fred Carter, founder of the barbershop, admires a Certificate of Recognition presented to her by Councilmember Monica Rodriguez during a plaque unveiling and celebration honoring the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley. The event is part of the ongoing African American Historic Places Los Angeles project, a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and the Getty to preserve culturally significant sites recognizing Black history and heritage, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
Gregory Faucett, grandson of barbershop founder Fred Carter, shares a laugh during a plaque unveiling and celebration honoring the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley. The event is part of the ongoing African American Historic Places Los Angeles project, a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and the Getty to preserve culturally significant sites recognizing Black history and heritage, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
From left, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, Gregory Faucett, Ollie Carter and Nella Carter attend a plaque unveiling and celebration honoring the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley. The event is part of the ongoing African American Historic Places Los Angeles project, a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and the Getty to preserve culturally significant sites recognizing Black history and heritage, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
An antique cash register, likely from the 1950s, is on display inside the historic barbershop honored as the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
A commemorative plaque honoring the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley is mounted on the exterior wall of the building in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
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A row of vintage barber chairs is seen inside the historic barbershop honored as the oldest Black-owned barbershop in the San Fernando Valley, in Pacoima on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Savage, Contributing Photographer)
In August, six buildings representing Black history in Los Angeles were designated as landmarks, including StylesVille Barbershop, Tom and Ethel Bradley Residence, St. Elmo Village, Jewel’s Catch One, California Eagle offices and New Bethel Baptist Church.
The sites were nominated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission and approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2024 and 2025. Launched in 2021, the project’s goal is to correct the historical underrepresentation of African American sites in the city’s historic designation programs by working with communities and local leaders.
