Don Smith

Don has been an integral community member and business owner for over 60 years.

When someone mentions the name Don Smith, people often think of his barber chair and clippers. After all, he has been cutting hair in Haldimand County for over 60 years. His downtown Caledonia barber shop, called “Don’s Barber Shop,” is somewhat of a local landmark and is easily identified by his old-fashioned barber pole that hangs out front and his signature sign. For Caledonia locals, though, they know Don as more than a barber; he is a man who loves his community and enjoys helping.

Outside of being a business owner, Don was the former chair of the Caledonia Business Improvement Area (BIA). While with the BIA, Don worked on hundreds of projects that impacted his community, including the Caledonia Heritage Lighting Project. This initiative aimed to highlight local historic figures with unique plaques that can be found on lamp posts and buildings throughout downtown Caledonia.

Don has also played a significant role as a volunteer administrator for the Caledonia Plate Glass Insurance Program. For this initiative, he organized and collected funds from participating businesses, which went towards replacing broken storefront windows and cleaning up vandalism. The program ran on a square footage basis, meaning businesses contributed based on their front display size, and was an optional buy-in program for those who wanted to participate.

Most mornings, Don can be found at his barber shop doing what he loves most, which is cutting hair and chatting with his clients. You can also count on seeing him at community events and fundraisers, including every Christmas and Canada Day parade. He also frequents the Caledonia ice rink as he passionately roots for the local junior hockey teams.

Don is always around to lend a helping hand when asked, or spearhead an event that he believes will better his community. He is a great example of what a local leader looks like!

Community Involvement:

• Caledonia BIA
• Volunteer Administrator for Caledonia Plate Glass Insurance Program
• Caledonia Heritage Lighting Project 

Learn more about starting or moving your business to Haldimand County. Contact us at 905-318-5932 ext. 6331 or email opportunity@haldimandcounty.on.ca.