Entry ID: #6135
Business Name: Electric Barbering
ABOUT YOUR SPACE
Date of Opening: 11/08/2019
Equipment Age (Years): 60
Decor & Style: Western, minimalist, 70s motorcycle cowboy
Project Type: Renovation
Square Footage:120 Sq. Ft.
Styling Stations: 2 Stations
Shampoo Stations: 0 Stations
Treatment Rooms: 1 Rooms
Q & A
What is the experience like at your salon, spa, or barbershop?
My shop is focused on the barber experience. But unlike many shops that I see today, I am not trying to capture the past. When someone comes into my shop, you are not stilling out of time or anything like that. I wanted the essential elements that make the barber experience authentic and not try to recreate Disneyland. I wanted something with plenty of personality but still timeless. The experience here is still very much about YOU. Here you can come to a place where someone remembers your name and asks about your family. I use Sassoon technique and apply it to barbering hairstyles, and finish with blow drying and styling with product which is something that’s hard to find in the majority of shops these days. Straight razor shaves are also a major portion of my business.
SHARE YOUR STORY & EXPEREINCE
What Takara Belmont products do you own? When and why was it acquired?
I have 2 Belmont barber chairs in my shop. It was not easy to get them. I found them on Facebook, and they were being sold for a decently affordable price. A reached out to the seller multiple times with no response. Finally, on what I felt like was my last time, the seller finally got back to me. It took another 2 weeks to agree to sell them to me and settle on a date to retrieve them. Even the day of I waited hours until finally he met with me. Then he explained to me that these chairs were special and had belonged to Johnny Carson. He wanted to make sure they were going to the right person that would care for them and maintain them. He appreciated my persistence and patient experience in dealing with his game. He had gotten them from a building he acquired in West Hollywood and said they were in Carson’s card room for years. Although the history sounds fascinating, I cannot prove the claim. Regardless, they are the perfect chairs for me. The style I have wanted since becoming a barber 9 years ago.
What is your favorite part of each product, and why?
A barber cannot operate without a proper chair. And these Belmont chairs really complement the style I have in the shop. I love that they lay back and function as a solid shaving barber chair. They are not overly modern or cheap looking, nor do they resemble salon chairs. I’ve owned and worked with many cheaply made chairs and even though these are 60 years old they are far superior.
Why should you win the #TakaraTurns100 Grand Prize?
I know I am not the only person who has suffered due to the pandemic. Our industry was among the hardest hit and most controversial during the whole thing. Fortunately for me I was only obligated to be closed for 3 months. But the following year was not much better. I spent many days only doing 2 or 3 haircuts. But to win this contest would be amazing because barbering itself is something I never thought I’d be doing. I spent years as an HVAC technician. Crawling under houses in the mud, being buried in fiberglass insulation in Attics and getting rained on on top of roof tops, in that industry people are angry when you show up because they are without heat or cooling and theyre mad when you leave because they had to pay for it. Then I was laid off and had nothing. I was being told I was overqualified to be a dishwasher. Then someone told me about a barbershop they went to and it changed everything for me. I decided immediately that’s what I would do. Being laid off I qualified to get unemployment and go to barber school at the same time. I ate rice and vegetables until I was able to graduate and take my state board test. I was finally able to work in an industry where you help people, you listen to them and they leave feeling better, they smile, they feel their day was changed. I worked through different shops for 7 years until I finally had my own. Meanwhile I’ve always been a fan of Belmont and their chairs! So, it was just be unbelievable if I won.
TELL US MORE (OPTIONAL)
How did your vision come to life?
It wasn’t easy of course. I’m suffering with the same thing many small town folks are. People with money have moved into the area and real estate and rent have increased 200-300% in the last 5 years. So when I moved back to my hometown here I quickly found that a building was out of the question and rent would be 3/4 of whatever income I could possible generate. So I searched and asked business owners if I could rent 50 sq ft to run a hair cutting business. Then finally I reached out to the mayor and he had 120 sq ft I could rent in an old motel that had been converted into a replica Wild West town. It’s still not my favorite option to be in a Wild West town. But it’s a place I can run my business.
How did your staff and/or clients embrace your vision and the equipment?
I still hear constantly how perfect the barber chairs are and how different this space is in my town. I worked hard to make this place stand out in quality and atmosphere more than any other business in town. People constantly thank me for coming to this town and opening this business. And people still ask me why I chose to live here and operate a business like this when I could be living in a city and charging 3-4 times as much. But I want to live simple and provide a quality space for people and enjoy my time. The chairs get much praise because they don’t ask for attention but they are too interesting to ignore. And that’s the type of space I hope I’ve created.
Do you have anything else to share?
My final vision may still be years away. I’d love to have a shop where I could have 3 chairs and sell coffee with the shop featuring vintage motorcycles. But for now I’m content with this barbershop. And I’m happy I can be of service to my community and be the “town barber” in a city with 3,100 people.
PHOTOS
