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Death Valley -- California, Clemson.
With the opening of a new business in St. Matthews, add one more location to the list.
"I wanted to bring Death Valley to Calhoun County," says Tony Brown, a 49-year-old entrepreneur and native of St. Matthews. "I'm a diehard Clemson fan. In the '70s, '80s, I've been a diehard fan all the way."
That could be an easily reached conclusion upon approaching the newly opened Jarrells' Barber Shop on the southern edge of town. What jumps out immediately at the end of a quiet neighborhood is a bright orange sign that serves notice not only of the shop's profession, but that Tiger Talk is the native language here.
"I've been a barber for 34 years, I've been in the military (Army Reserve) for 34 years," Brown said. "This was just a dream, just a dream to have my own shop."
Named after Brown's disabled son, Jarrells' isn't a peppermint-poled barber shop you might find in any community. The first striping a passerby will notice is those in the parking lot -- all orange.
Approaching the door, the visitor is given a warm-up of brightness with a doormat. But once the visitor steps inside, it's an orange crush on the visual senses.
The floor is solid orange. The trash cans, cups, pictures, posters, clocks, game boards, bathroom trim -- orange. A pool table in the back is felted in orange. And what's not orange is, what else, purple.
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"I wanted only three colors -- orange, purple, and white," Brown said. "I've always wanted this even before my son went to Clemson."
There are a couple of exceptions to the House of Orange. The customer seats are black and the roofing tin is red. The only reason for the red: "They said the don't make it in orange," Brown said.
The shop is split into two sides. One is a barber shop, the other a salon. Both are orange.
Each side of the shop has three TVs that are connected to the sports channels.
"I positioned the chairs so that while I'm cutting hair, any way I turn them, they can see the game," Brown said. "I designed it that way."
While most chairs are upholstered in black, one isn't. It's the refurbished 100-year-old chair Brown first used years ago. It was refurbished in orange.
As manager of the Calhoun County Death Valley, Kevin Jenkins said the color scheme of the facility does create plenty of conversation topics among the customers. Not many come into the local Death Valley bragging about their Carolina Gamecocks, he says.
"I haven't seen it happen," Jenkins said. "But I imagine they wouldn't say too much when they're getting their haircut. They might say something after."
All joking aside, Carolina fans as well as others are welcome at Jarrells'. If you're wearing garnet and black, you won't leave with a tiger paw shaved into your haircut, Jenkins said.
"You're still welcome, we don't discriminate," he says.
Jenkins admits, however, he wasn't originally a member of the Tiger faithful. He recalls once placing a non-descript trash can in a restroom at the shop which was immediately replaced with an orange receptacle.
"I have no choice with all the purple and orange but to be a Clemson fan," Jenkins said laughing.
On a typical Saturday, the shop will see early morning traffic by those seeking to get their day started early, errands run, chores done.
But Brown said that crowd will probably make their way to the shop around noon when the Tigers touch Howard's Rock on the way to their meeting with Carolina.
His prediction for the annual rivalry: Clemson.
"I think it will be the Tigers by nine," Brown said.
T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.