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t Rock Barbers, guys get more than just a haircut. There’s a green for putting, a guitar for picking, flat-screen TVs for watching the game, and, of course, free beer. “When guys walk in here, they’re home,” says Anthony Full, 55, who opened the barbershop in 2010.


After graduating from the Academy of Professional Barber-Stylists and the Vermont College of Cosmetology, Full spent 30 years working for and managing various salons. But at midlife, his ambition changed. “I read a quote from Oliver Wen- dell Holmes that said, ‘Many people die with their music still in them.’ As I got older, I started thinking about what I wanted my legacy to be.”


ANTHONY FULL LOUISVILLE, COLO.


Full decided to open a classic American barbershop, the kind that was disappearing


from towns across the country. He had enough confidence in his business plan that he and his wife (with one kid in


college, and two more at home) took out a second mortgage and went $100,000 into debt to launch his 1,280-square-foot dream. “Having the wolf at the door was exciting for me,” he says. “It forced me to focus and perform.” Just three years after the business launched, Full


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over $1 million in debt, she was living on four credit cards. “My attorney said ‘Sweetheart, you either need a therapist or a dog,’” she recalls. So she adopted a 4-month-old English bulldog named Zelda. A few weeks later, Gardner, now 68, who could


I


barely afford to feed Zelda, dressed her up in a Santa hat and a bubble beard, snapped her photo, and entered it in a local pet store’s Christmas card contest. (Prize: one year’s worth of free dog food.) When she won, the proverbial light bulb came on. Gardner got busy sewing costumes for Zelda, shooting photos and writing captions, ultimately creating a starter line of 24 funny, inspirational greeting cards and posters. A local printer ran 25,000 cards on credit, and Gardner began pitching stores in Oregon and Washington.


n 1997, at age 52, Carol Gardner was in trouble. The high-end real estate venture she invested in with her husband had failed. Soon after, so did their marriage. Depressed, divorced, and


WE’VE LOST THE PERSONAL TOUCH IN AMERICA,


is out of debt, employs eight, and has a second location and a line of hair-care products in the works. He’s even considering opening a barber school.


AND THAT’S CREATED AN OPPORTUNITY.


Then, in May, her big break came at the


National Stationery Trade Show in New York City, where she took orders from buyers nation- wide and signed with a licensing company that booked Zelda on Good Morning America. Just six months after winning the dog food contest, card sales topped 1 million. Today, Zelda Wisdom is a global multimil- lion-dollar brand that also includes calendars, books, clothing, jewelry, and household acces- sories. “If I can accomplish all this just by dress- ing up my dog,” she quips, “imagine what you can do.”


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CAROL GARDNER PORTLAND, ORE.


BE DARING, BE DIFFERENT, BUT ALWAYS BE SMART. THAT’S MY FORMULA.


NOVEMBER 2, 2014 | 9 © PARADE Publications 2014. All rights reserved


GARDNER & ZELDA BY SHAUN YOUNG


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