SALISBURY — When Critters on South Main Street closed back in July, residents all over Salisbury were wondering what would become of Champion, the mechanical horse outside the store that had turned into an unofficial local historic landmark. Its owner, Bob Lambrecht, had envisioned Champion staying on South Main and continuing to be a part of the fabric of downtown Salisbury. Lambrecht went as far as to turn down potential buyers who wanted to put Champion in their homes, holding out hope that it would stay where he thought it belonged.

It appears he got his wish.

Champion now calls Made Man Barber and Shave, located right down the street from where Critters used to be, its home. Owner Brian Hunt was glad to take Champion off of Lambrecht’s hands for him. Lambrecht is a regular customer at Man Made and when Critters was almost set to close, Lambrecht mentioned to Hunt while getting his haircut how much he and the rest of Salisbury loved Champion.

Even though Hunt couldn’t buy it outright, he proposed to place Champion in front of his store once Critters shut its doors for good. Hunt dropped the subject and then weeks went by before Lambrecht reached out to him to see if the offer still stood. They then got together and pushed Champion to where it sits today.

“I’m just a caretaker of it. It’s still Bob’s (Lambrecht’s) and Critters.’ For me, it’s my job to make sure it’s available for downtown. It’s for everyone to enjoy. Within a day or two of it being here, I get what he means and why he’s so attached to it. Just seeing the kids come running up the sidewalk, ‘It’s here!’ Seeing their faces light up. Grown ups that have come by and pet that horse and caress it, it really is important to downtown,” Hunt said.

After having Champion in front of his barber shop the past few weeks, Hunt admits it’s “stressful” being its guardian, considering a lot of people have so many memories connected to it. As traffic goes by, Hunt says drivers honk their horns and give him a thumbs up to show their support.

“Several people have stopped in, opened the door, and said, ‘I’m so glad you’ve got that thing,'” Hunt said.

Lambrecht has since visited Man Made to enquire about Champion just to confirm it’s doing alright. When it comes to all the change that people put into Champion, Hunt and Lambrecht have discussed however much money they collect, it will go towards whichever charity Lambrecht chooses.

“Whatever good it can do for downtown Salisbury, that’s what it should do, ” Hunt said.

Thanks to Hunt, Champion will maintain its presence in downtown Salisbury and will not be leaving any time soon. The reason Champion is so popular is because Lambrecht knew it truly didn’t belong to him and thankfully, Hunt knows that, too.

“It’s not the shop’s horse, it’s downtown’s,” Hunt said.