Known affectionately as “Ed the Barber,” 81-year-old Taftville businessman Edward Brown lives by his own set of rules.

Brown’s daily “plan” involves waking at 5 a.m. and walking in the morning and afternoon. He maintains his slim physique by eating a good breakfast and a light lunch and dinner.

The Ledyard resident doesn’t own a television at his home, because he doesn’t have time to watch it, he said one April morning. Sometimes, however, he visits his son, Edward, and they watch movies and “tapes” about fishing and hunting.

On nice days, he rolls up to his 29 Merchants Ave. barbershop on a 2017 Honda Rebel motorcycle. Other days, he drives his Ford 350 Turbo Diesel truck.

From 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Saturday, his regulars stop by and wait their turn. He disconnected his work phone and doesn’t take appointments.

Brown accommodates his customers any way he can. If they can’t manage the steps, he will put an extension cord through his front window and cut their hair on the porch where a painted red-and-white wooden barber sign alerts people about his services. Inside, a wheelchair, walker and cane stand ready on one side of the room for those who need support. On the opposite side, his handcrafted bird boxes and original paintings of mountains, oceans, Jesus and golfer Tiger Woods are displayed.

Tucked on the side is a 6- by 6-inch painting of a dog – something he does for free for people, so they can remember their canines and cats after they die.

Because of rising costs, Brown said he was forced to raise his price from $7.25 to $10 for men’s and women’s haircuts – still far below the average $20 to $30 stylists charge in this area.

After sitting in the green-leather-and-chromed barber’s chair, Paul Caouette, 90, said he has been coming to Brown’s barber shop for about 10 years. “Well, the price is right for one thing,” he said. “I like his sense of humor. He’s a good friend. He’s very talented.”

Caouette questions why he should pay $30 when he doesn’t have much hair. He quips, “Here today, gone tomorrow.”

Brown laughs. “I just enjoy the customers. It’s very interesting to listen. Doctors come here, priests, all types of people,” he said, adding, “You hear all kinds of stories.”

Jay Sawyer of Norwich has been coming to Brown for 15 years. He said he enjoys his sense of humor and agreed they have many common interests: hunting, fishing and the outdoors.

After 20 years in the Coast Guard, Sawyer worked as a UPS driver, which is how he first came upon the barbershop, which is located near Love Me Forever Bridal, formerly Love Me Two Times Consignment Boutique.

“I see you’re still riding that bike, eh? Did you get a new one or no?” Sawyer asked while Brown gives him a shorter summer, “Porch-styled” haircut.

I’m thinking of trading it in but my mechanic just fixed it now. It wasn’t getting gas. He put all new tires on it, all new brakes. So we’ll run it this year. And then we’ll go from there,” said Brown, who has been in two “bad” motorcycle accidents in Norwich, which involved drivers on cell phones.

When he was 67, Brown said a car came at him going about 50 miles an hour and hit him head on, splitting his helmet in half when he hit the ground. “I was thrown over the car out into the road. I woke up in the hospital (after being in) a coma.”

The second accident occurred near Backus Hospital. Since the motorcycle was lower than the car, he said the young boy “looked at the light (that turned) green, took off and locked right into the motorcycle.”

He said he is a “believer in God” and that “God came before him.”

The accidents have not deterred Brown, who said he is “an active type of a guy” and that “riding a motorcycle is very enjoyable. Weather permitting, you know, it’s really, really nice.”

He added that he is an “outdoor person” and enjoys scuba diving, cross-country skiing, camping, fishing and hunting.

Tony Fink said he has been coming to Brown’s shop since he “was a kid” 35 years ago.

“Your father was a meter man,” Brown chimes in.

When Brown was hospitalized in 2007, Fink said he had to go elsewhere to get a haircut.

“I didn’t know what to tell the girl, because I’ve been coming here for so long,” the 47-year-old Taftville native said.

Next is 73-year-old Bob Ostrowski of Norwich, who reminds Brown to trim his mustache, which is hidden behind a mask.

After telling him not to talk and hold his head up while he cuts his hair, Brown pointed out Ostrowski “has a twin brother.”

Born in Fall River, Mass., and raised by a single mother, Brown and his four siblings moved around a great deal – living in Colchester, Hebron, and eventually, Norwich.

Brown’s natural ability first became apparent when he cut his mother’s hair and later people in the neighborhood. He said his girlfriend at the time told him he “ought to go to barber school,” and she took it upon herself to write to numerous schools.

Brown was accepted into the Tri-City Barber School in Brooklyn, New York. Its owner had a private studio where he styled the hair of many movie actors – including John Wayne, Bob Hope and Charlton Heston. Brown cut the hair of nonfamous cast members.

After graduating in 1963, Brown began cutting hair at various places in southeastern

Connecticut, including Ledyard and Emry’s Barbershop on Broadway in Norwich, as well as Lamperelli’s Barbershop in New London and another shop in Mystic (where he was spotted by someone who worked for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, because he was talented and fast).

So for the next 20 years, Brown worked full-time for the Coast Guard cutting cadets’ hair. “We have a way to do it where they look presentable. It’s a nice appearance. It’s very short. I have to use special clippers to do this.”

When women were admitted into the academy in 1976, many of them wanted a haircut like ice skater Dorothy Hamill, he said.

Later, Brown went on to manage the Coast Guard’s barbershop for enlisted personnel and those visiting Navy Federal Credit Union – mainly working alone for seven years until he left in 1995.

During most of his time at the Coast Guard, he would come back to his Taftville barbershop and cut customers’ hair at night, he said.

Brown said he continues to stay abreast of new haircuts. He described the “Peter Gunn” haircut as a style where the hair “shoots” out in front. There are also different kinds of fades.

“Some have a high fade, a low fade, a medium fade. You’ve seen people where they have like a darker hair on top and then a lighter hair on the bottom. It’s fading in. That’s done with the clippers. You

have to know how to hold a clipper a certain way to achieve this.”

He said he asks new people what they want and encourages them to bring a picture. Sometimes it’s something different and he has to figure it out.

“I have to go step by step.”

Brown said, “It isn’t easy. You’ve got to know what you’re doing. Everybody’s different.”

He added that he knows what his regular customers want.

“In the summer, they want it shorter. In the winter, they want it longer.”

Brown said he is proud of his four adult children. His son, Edward, enjoys cutting hair, but chose to do electrical, plumbing, roofing and carpentry work for a living. His three daughters are waitress

Susan Chapman, Registered Nurse Lynn Elmy and hair stylist Lori Brown of Paragon Salon & Spa in Norwich, who he refers customers to if they want a perm – something he doesn’t do.

“He is really good at what he does. I didn’t realize till I was older when I stopped by where he was working and actually watched him,” Lori said during a telephone interview, adding much of what her father does is freehand without a razor guard or Flat-Top comb.

The elder Brown is also proud of his father who was one of the commercial fishermen featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine years ago.

Reflecting on his full life and good health, he said, “That’s how I am and I thank God for that. That’s why I am a believer.”

His only regret is that at his age he can’t work full time anymore. “So I take a little nap in the afternoon.”

Brown, who has no plans to retire, said he thinks it’s important to have a positive attitude. Stagnating isn’t good for people, he added.

He said Red Sox fans come in, because they know he roots for the team. Sometimes “Yankee people” don’t want to come to his shop. One thing is certain: Brown makes anyone sitting in his chair feel very special.

After a steady stream of customers all morning, another climbs into his chair.

“I’m the fastest in the world,” Brown said smiling.