South Australian premier drops in to congratulate Adelaide barber on 50 years in the job

An Adelaide barber is about to notch up 50 years at his Leigh Street institution, and had a high-profile visitor to congratulate him on the milestone. 

Alec Mastrangelo migrated from Italy in 1967 and has built a loyal customer base since starting his barbershop in 1974.

"Never take anybody for granted. Look after people, and they'll keep coming back," he said.

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South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas visited Mastrangelo's shop to congratulate him. 

"Nothing survives for fifty years unless you're good with people," he said. 

"Individuals like Alec bring our city to life and give it a bit of character."

Mastrangelo has served a number of famous faces.

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"Guy Sebastian's been here, quite a few famous people, but I treat everybody the same so it's alright," he said.

 Mastrangelo faced challenges as a young migrant after opening his business.

"When you start with nothing, you start to appreciate things," he said. 

"It was a pretty tough time and slowly worked my way up."

But he says he won't be putting the scissors down anytime soon.

This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.