This building was bought in 1895 by Emanuel Hecht who two years later sold it to his brother, Isaac Hecht (1864-1913). Isaac had built the Hecht Hotel on Green Street in 1890 and owned other properties. Isaac also became President of the Havre de Grace Banking & Trust Company prior to his unexpected death in 1913. This property obviously became a rental property after that because in the 1916 telephone directory, this address is listed as having phone service; “D. A. Fisher” of Havre de Grace is listed in the Rand McNally 1917 International Bankers Directory. D. A. Fisher is also listed as a Director of the Havre de Grace Banking & Trust Company, along with Lee I. Hecht, J. W. Maslin, F. C. Lawder, and others in Trust Companies of the United States, 1921 Edition. And Lee I. Hecht was one of the two sons of Isaac Hecht, to whom (with his wife Miriam) this property was deeded in 1931.

Lee I. Hecht sold the building in 1935 to Vasiliki “Bessie” Doukas (1895-1973), who continued to own it until 1960 as an investment property. She and her husband, Agesilaos “Harry” Doukas (1882-1941), were Greek immigrants. The widowed Vasiliki (sometimes spelled Vasilike) sold the entire building, including the second floor apartment, to Domenick Saponaro (1907-1987) and his wife, Mary J. Saponaro, in 1960, who were already operating the barber shop on the ground floor.

In 1933, 26-year-old Domenick Saponaro had opened a barber shop at this location, which he operated for 55 years without ever retiring. He had immigrated to Delaware in 1926 and then to Havre de Grace. During his service in WWII, Domenick is known to have been one of “Merrill's Marauders” who fought in Burma behind enemy lines—they later became known as the “Green Berets.” His son, Donato “Don” J. Saponaro, has run the barber shop ever since the death of his father. The black marble veneer at the bottom of the shop’s exterior, which at one time extended along the row of shops to the north, was destroyed by a driver who jumped the curb and crashed into the shop. The driver kept driving parallel to the curb, breaking the windows and destroying the marble storefronts.

Many local men, such as John Ford, remember being taken to Domenick’s for crew cuts in grade school and some remember him using a straight razor. Jim Andrews shared that he went there when he was 13 and told Domenick that he couldn’t wait to be bald headed—Jim says now at 80 he still goes to Don but his haircuts don’t take as long! And many remember the old Bazooka bubble gum containing little comic strips that Domenick always gave to them.

An interesting story, told by Robert Price, is that there used to be a company called Price Plastering Services who, before the days of drywall, used to do a lot of plastering in buildings throughout town. Because mixing the plaster with hair made it stronger, the company had an arrangement with Domenick that he would keep all the cut hair for them. As a result, many plastered walls in Havre de Grace contain the hair of its citizens!

The building contains two stores on the ground floor; the second store is described under 316 St. John Street. When Mary Saponaro died in 1989, she left this building to her four children, Donato J. Saponaro, Anthony J. Saponaro, Margherita S. Coudon, and James M. Saponaro, who continue to own the building.

County Records
Built 1870. 4,586 sq ft retail store, 3144 sq ft lot.