How Allen Iverson, Ice-T, and Other Celebs Came to Newtown to Film a Car-Warranty Ad in a Barber Shop

(l to r): Allen Iverson, Mr. Biggs, Tracey Bowen-Tobin, and Ice-T.Image via Bowen’s Barber Shop at Facebook.

A basketball superstar, a rapper, a hip-hop icon, a car-warranty provider walk into a Newtown stylist’s workplace. It sounds like set-up to a joke. But, as Kate Fishman reported in the Doylestown Patch, it was legit business at Bowen’s Barber Shop.

At the center of these disparate components is Tracey Bowen-Tobin.

She grew up in Newtown, co-owned her mother’s hairstyling business, and first embarked on a career in the entertainment business after college.

But the grind of N.Y. and L.A. took its toll, and she returned to Bucks County.

She formalized her own scissors skills and started cutting hair in the shop.

One of her customers, a TV commercial director, sought a location for a Carshield spot, and thought immediately of Bowen’s. He liked the idea of famous people in a familial, community setting.

The commercial’s cast — Allen Iverson, Ice-T, wrestler Ric Flair, hip-hop performer Mr. Biggs — enjoyed their time on location, dining with the crew on a meal from local restaurant Vecchia Osteria.

Despite the presence of some entertainment luminaries, however, Bowen-Tobin still sees her favorite “costar” as her mom, with whom she works daily to serve customers.

“It’s … a blessing, a gift, and just something I love,” she said, describing the daily collaboration with her parent.

More on the high-profile visitors to Bowen’s Barber Shop is at the Doylestown Patch.