Yarlett says is the conversations and connections with customers that he will miss the most.
It is the first time since 1925 that a Yarlett won't be cutting hair in New Zealand.
Ian became an apprentice to his father Les Yarlett, who started his apprenticeship in 1925, in December 1960, at his barbershop on Courtenay Place in Wellington.
In May 1963 his father died and, aged 17, Ian took over the shop.
He had wanted to be an accountant but an accident meant he missed out on some schooling and following in his father's footsteps became the best option.
Yarlett laughs as he retells a strange story about how the constant looking at the back of people's heads came in handy.
The barbershop was over the road from the National Bank and Yarlett was standing in the queue of the bank when a man two or three people in front of him tried to cash a cheque.
The teller, named Mark, went into the back, and the man took off.
The cheque was stolen but Yarlett said he recognised the thief from the back of his head.
A few weeks later the police took him and Mark down to the police station. Mark identified the man from the front, and Ian identified him from the back.
In 1974 he sold the Courtenay Pl business and cut hair in Kirkcaldie & Stains department store.
In this time, he heard about some of the happenings inside Parliament. Allegedly the Beehive is actually 18 inches narrower than it was meant to be, Yarlett says, offering Hawke's Bay Today his political scoop.
The man who was in charge of ordering the carpet for the building came in to get a haircut and told Yarlett that he ordered the carpet off the construction plans and ended up with 18 inches to spare.
"I said to him the trouble is the Aussies built it, they probably flogged the other 18 inches."
Politicians would often ask about who he thought would win elections or the outcome of referendums, and the only time he thinks he was wrong was when it was decided to get rid of Nelson Park in Hastings.
In Christmas Eve, 1980, he moved to Hastings for the better weather, and took over the shop at 403 Heretaunga St West, opening in 1981. It has been open ever since.
In Hastings he has cut the hair of multiple generations of families and has enjoyed cutting hair and living in the district, saying it has a lot of lovely families.
He has also seen many hair trends come and go.
Longer-haired customers coming in was déjà vu for him as he remembered teachers in the late 1960s and 70s bringing in boys with long hair to get their hair cut.
The current short back and sides hairstyle he often cuts are "very smart" and has come almost full circle from when he started.
Although today's style looks a lot nicer and is easier to cut with spacer combs.
There have been many customers who have turned into friends, and he will miss this part of the job the most.
Sharon Woon, who currently works at the store, is taking over the business.
