Birmingham Barbershop

Traditional Barbershop - Birmingham, Alabama

Americana - Photography

Was back on the road recently for a photoshoot in Texas and a snow goose hunt in Arkansas, all the while trying to sniff out some old barbershops.

It’s been interesting to see how some smaller cities have groupings of barbershops all in one place. Common sense would tell you that isn’t a great business strategy, but what do I know? Birmingham, Alabama is just such a place with multiple shops all on the same block, which was exciting but things didn’t start out so hot.

There was an older gentleman sitting out in front of the first shop I approached. He was talking on the phone while sitting on a stool in front of the door. I introduced myself and said that I’d like to make some photographs of the shop. Before I could even finish he said “I don’t have time”, turned his back to me, and continued his conversation. The shop was completely empty. I tried pushing back politely, stating that I’d been working on this project for 12+ years and published a book on traditional barbershops in all 50 states, etc, etc, etc. It didn’t work. He was angry that I was still standing there trying to talk with him and even more angry that I asked for the owner’s phone number. He wasn’t annoyed. He was angry almost to the point of aggression. Ah well. Can’t win them all. That led to a stop in Magic City Barbershop, which opened it’s doors in 1930! There is a poster on the front window from the Jefferson County Historical Commission that states so, but you don’t need a poster to tell you the place isn’t far off from its 100 year anniversary. You can just feel it.

The shop was empty besides the one barber working. He was a character. Had a witty answer for everything I said or asked.

Me: “Is this your shop?”

Him: “It ain’t yours!”

There were lots of old newspaper clippings on the wall of Martin Luther King and others from the riots and bombings. “Bombingham” as he called it, has a unique past that shaped it into the city it is today. Despite all the racial violence and negativity, it’s fascinating to be in that shop because the city’s history provides an education, experience, and conversation that you’re not likely to get anywhere else in the country. Barbershops provide an unorthodox way of learning about America!

Click here to check out my photo book of traditional barbershops in all 50 states

Magic City Barbershop - Birmingham, Alabama

Sneakers for sale at a barbershop in Birmingham, Alabama

Traditional barbershop photography

Portrait of a barber in Birmingham, Alabama

North Carolina Barbershop

Traditional Barbershop - Photography

The American Barbershop - Wall Art

These photographs of the Granville Barbershop in Granville, North Carolina were made during a drive home to upstate NY for Christmas. The owner was very skeptical of my intentions at first but agreed to let me photograph his shop. During my time there I had some fun interactions with customers, but he never said much. As far as history goes, the shop opened in the 1940’s, and prior to that it was an African American movie theater!! How’s that for Southern?

As with most old shops, the relationship between proprietor and those in his chair was easy, fluid, and quite candid. At one point an older gentleman sauntered in with his head down, dropped a gift on an empty chair, turned back toward the door and said “well, gotta go”. That was it. No interaction. Never even lifted his head up to make eye contact. The barber didn’t seem surprised, nor did he skip a beat on the haircut in progress.

Took about a half hour until I was pleased with the pictures made. Afterward I gave the barber a card and thanked him for the hospitality. He stopped cutting, grabbed a few coins off the back bar, placed them in my hand and in an almost too good to be true accent said “take these two qwwwaaaaaaaatehs back to that machine and get you a pop. I’ll bet you haven’t had a 50 cent pop in yeeeeaaaaaaahs.” Sure enough, there were ice cold sodas coming out of a vintage Coca Cola machine against the back wall. Can’t tell you the last time I even had the desire for a soda, but I wasn’t about to turn that one down.

Interactions like these are what keep Barbershops of America going. Talking to people that give you a very definitive sense of place is gratifying, educational, and fun. Hearing about the shops history in such a dialect not only tells you where you are in the world, but also where you aren’t. I love that.

Click here to check out my photography book Barbershops of America

Contact me directly about barbershop photography prints for your home, office, or commercial space -rob@robhammerphotography.com

Traditional Barbershop Photography

The Granville Barbershop in Granville, North Carolina

Exterior photograph of a traditional barbershop in North Carolina

Photograph of a barber cutting a customers hair in a traditional barbershop

Barbershop Culture Photography

Photography Books - American Culture

American Photography - Documenting Traditional Barbershops

American photography as a genre is hard to define, especially when it comes to art collection and fine art photography. The term is so broad and leaves plenty of room for interpretation. One of my longest running series Barbershops of America fits into that category. Although it’s only been recently that I realized what’s been put together with this series is as much American photography as it is a historical document of a niche piece of American culture. And it occured to me the other day that getting a haircut is just a bonus to the experience you receive from being in a traditional barbershop. Grateful to see this project getting some exposure on Creative Boom and The Eye of Photography.

Click HERE to purchase a copy of Barbershops of American or HERE to purchase fine art prints.

Barbershop Photography

Traditional American Barbershops

One of the best/hardest parts of working on long term projects focused on one subject matter is the bar is always rising. And that has definitely been the case for Barbershops of America. Traditional shops are a dying breed as is, and after seeing countless shops (good and bad) over the past 10 years, I’ve become quite specific about which shops I want to include in this project. Despite lots of travel and searching for shops over the past year+, the efforts have been fruitless, finding almost nothing worthy of documentation. Sort of hard to believe, actually. Searching for that long without positive results can make you think hard about the project. Is it done? Have I truly found and photographed all the remaining traditional barbershops in America? All of that doubt was erased recently after finding two incredible shops. Nicholson’s Barbershop in Raleigh, NC has been around for 40 years and Patsy’s Barbershop in Albany, NY first opened its doors in 1930! I was born in Albany, lived nearby for 25 years, have been going back at least twice a year for the past 18 years, and just last week discovered Patsy’s. Even more strange, the current owner is a former bouncer that used to, for good reason, throw my friends and I out of the bar. Funny how life works.

Click here to purchase a copy of Barbershops of America

Nicholson’s Barbershop - Raleigh, North Carolina

Patsy’s Barbershop - Albany, NY

Traditional barbershop in Albany, NY

Barbershop - Marfa, Texas

Traditional Barbershop

As much as I try to embrace social media, it’s difficult to genuinely say anything positive about it sometimes. Every once in a while though, something happens that makes me think twice about. A few days ago I posted this image of a traditional barbershop in Marfa, Texas on my @barbershopsofamerica Instagram account, which was re-posted as a story by Visit Marfa. If you don’t know anything about Marfa, it’s a tiny but growing town in the middle of Nowhere,Texas. That day I received a direct message from a woman that had seen their story and was filled with sentimental feelings, as she used to know the shop and the owner. She went back to look at it again later and noticed that the man in the chair was her father, who had passed away two years ago from cancer. The image caused her to cry some happy tears and she asked about purchasing a print. Turns out we live 15 minutes from each other! So this morning I drove to her house to deliver some prints and a copy of Barbershops of America. Social media isn’t all bad!

This project has been going on for 10 years now. Hard to believe. Aside from the obvious joy it gives me to make theses images, it’s the auxiliary things that really make it special. The people I’ve met out of pure coincidence or from having shared interests will keep this series going forever.

Click here to purchase a copy of Barbershops of America.

Contact me directly if you’d like to purchase prints of my barbershop photography - rob@robhammerphotography.com

The American Barbershop

Barbeshop Photography - Prints

Americana - Wall Art

It would be nice to say that every barbershop is unique, but that’s just not true. Much like every other industry, barbershops have more than their fair share of soulless and generic establishments. That’s not even counting the Super Cuts, because really, that’s not a barbershop, nor is it worth mentioning. Those soulless shops do serve a purpose however. And that’s to help shine a light on those that are truly unique. Forgive me for not writing the information down, but the owner of Main Street Barbershop in Gardnerville, Nevada told me something or other about how the entire building they are in, was moved at some point many many years ago to the place it currently sits. That in itself is unique. To go a step further though, it also holds the distinction of being the only barbershop I’ve ever been in that buys and sells guns/ammunition. Not to pat myself on the back for such an obscure feat, but I’ve been in well over 1,000. So that has to say something? Yeah, I’ll take a high and tight. And while you’re at it, give me a case of 45 caliber. Not going to hear that too many places. Just another thing you have to love about barbershops!! Normal rules don’t apply.

Side note: How many “Main Street Barbershops” are there in America???

Click HERE to grab a copy of Barbershops of America. Click HERE to purchase prints.

Texas Barbershop

Lockhart, Texas Barbershop

Photography - Prints - Wall Art

Not sure what the trigger was, but it hit me the other day that I never post updates about Barbershops of America. It’s been over two years since the last book came out and so much has happened since then. What an incredible journey this project continues to be. I’m really grateful for it. Even with all the other series in the works, I can’t seem to keep myself out of barbershops.

The image here are from Raymond’s Barbershop in Lockhart, TX. For those of you that live in the BBQ world, you know Lockhart is Mecca. And honestly, that’s the only reason these images exist. During a cross country trip a few years back, the BBQ itch needed to be scratched. After overdoing it at Smitty’s, I stumbled up Raymond’s with some heavy meat sweats. That’s just how the road goes though. Some days you search and search and search without finding a damn thing. Other days it just falls in your lap with a side of brisket.

Click HERE to pick up a copy of Barbershops of America .

Contact me directly for fine art barbershop prints for your home, office, or commercial space - rob@robhammerphotography.com

Raymond's Barbershop - Lockhart, Texas

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Traditional Barbershops

Small Town Barbershops

Photographs of American Culture

Hard to believe this project has been going on for 10 years now. You’d think after publishing a couple books on the subject, the desire to photograph barbershops would go away. Apparently not. What a journey it’s been and continues to be. Here are a few made over the past 6 months or so. The first shot of the Commercial Barbershop in Elko is actually a shop I photographed 8 or 9 years ago when it was in full swing. Unfortunately, it is no more. Sad, but that is exactly why I started this project.

Click here to pick up a copy of Barbershops of America.

Commercial Barbershop - Elko, Nevada

Ernie's Barbershop - San Luis, Colorado

Ernie's Barbershop - San Luis, Colorado

Main St. Barbershop - Gardnerville, Nevada

Main St. Barbershop - Gardnerville, Nevada

Oregon

American Photographic Artists

APA is a great organization for photographers that I’m proud to be a member of. It’s filled with good people that support and help each other rather than looking at one another as competition. I recently did an interview with them which you can read here:

MEET.Rob Hammer

Fausto Ferrari Barbershop

Traditional Barbershop - Cincinnati, Ohio - Photos - Americana

It’s crazy what BBQ can bring into your life besides good times and a happy belly. There are countless images made on the road that have been a direct result of my love for smoked meat. In December 2013 I was cruising around downtown Cincinnati in a huge snowstorm when a (meat) smoker caught my eye in front a non-descript store front. If it weren’t for the huge plums of smoke coming from it I would have went right on by. Luckily it was about the only form of life on those empty streets that day. So I stopped for some food which happened to be next door to a beautiful old barbershop, which at the time, was closed despite the listed hours stating it should be open. I remember asking the owner of the bbq joint about the barber - “Good luck. That guy comes and goes whenever he wants to. Who knows when he’ll be back.” I had to take a gamble though, hoping he would indeed be cutting the following day. After spending the night I showed up at his stated “opening” time, but there was no sign of the barber. So I sat in my car wondering if he would show. Quite some time after, he did.

Over the past 10 years of working on this project I’ve encountered an almost endless list of characters. Mr. Fausto Ferrari is at or near the top of them all. Despite being in this country some 50+ years, he still spoke very broken English, so our conversations were fun to dissect. One of his long time customers came in shortly after he arrived and it was obvious that they had quite the history together. Halfway through the cut Fausto went into the back room . The man in the chair could see how much I enjoyed the barbers antics and said “I keep a file on my computer of all the stories he tells me”. Fausto was entertaining on his own, but watching the two of them was a gift. The kind of chemistry that can only happen between old friends. They carried effortless conversations that were often interrupted by the barber abruptly saying “Seeeñññoooooorrr” and the man in the seat volleying back with a smile “Faaaauuuussstooo”. Then the conversation would continue like it never stopped until the next volley. A special interaction that I was luck to witness.

Señor Fausto recently passed away after 94 years. A beautiful ride that any of us would be luck to match. Rest in Power Mr. Ferrari. Cincinnati will miss you.

Click here to grab a copy of Barbershops of America

Photo was made on 12/7/13

Fausto Ferrari

Syndicate Barbershop - Long Beach, CA

Best Barbershop in Long Beach, California

Syndicate Barbershop - Photography

Walk around any city or town in America and you’ll see far too many permanently closed doors from COVID. A lot of business’ couldn’t deal with the financial stressors and effects from COVID. Syndicate Barbershop in Long Beach, CA isn’t one of them, thankfully. In fact, they just celebrated 20 years or haircuts in the best way possible. With a block party. I’ve always loved Syndicate and proudly displayed their facade on the cover of version 2 of Barbershops of America. It’s a great shop that fits perfectly within the funk of Long Beach. And the turnout for the party was also quite fitting. People watching at it’s finest. This was the first REAL party I’ve been to since before COVID began and it will be a tough one to beat. Tim did it up right. Check back in another 20 years and hopefully I’ll be posting photos from their 40 year anniversary!

Click here to grab a copy of Barbershops of America

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Andis Clippers

Traditional Barbershop Advertisements

Vintage - Old School Barbershop

People will probably get sick of my ramblings about personal projects, but I don’t care. It’s an important message to send. As of now it’s been about 10 years since the Barbershops of America series began and I’m still on the lookout for old shops during my travels. One of the most rewarding parts about these projects is their ability to organically connect me with like minded people/brands. Andis Company is one of those brands. They started out in the 1920’s and is now being run by it’s fourth generation of the same family. Hard not to get behind a company like that. A couple years ago I stopped in to their headquarters in Wisconsin and was given a behind the scenes tour. The operation is incredibly impressive, but what stood out the most was the camaraderie and interaction between all the employees. Even during my limited time there it was obvious that they enjoyed each other and enjoyed working for Andis. So I’m proud of our past collaborations as well as this most recent image they licensed for an ad on social justice that ran in USA Today.

Andis Company

Pasquale The Barber

Life has a tendency to take over. I don’t mean that as a bad thing, but it certainly has a natural way of pushing certain things to the side. Maybe it’s just priorities? Who knows. If the downtime caused by COVID has been good for anything though, it’s been a recalculation of what’s important and what isn’t. For me, I’ve been happy to unearth some projects from the archives that haven’t ever seen the light of day. This doc we did on Pasquale The Barber is one of those projects. It was so much fun in a lot of ways, one being that it’s my first time “directing” a video production. I use those terms lightly though because it was a very small personal production between myself and cameraman Jordan Valente. I’ve know Pasquale for years now, ever since photographing him at his shop for the 1st barbershop book way back in 2011(?). This video was shot in 2018, but got buried on a hard drive when life and other commercial projects took over. The only real downside of waiting so long to put this together is that “Pat” has since retired and moved into a senior home. Fortunately we were able to track down his son who was able to play the documentary for him on his computer at the facility. And I’m told he enjoyed it very much. Cheers to Pasquale and all the other old school barbers still carrying on the tradition.

Click here to purchase a copy of “Barbershops of America - Then and Now”

Barbershops of America - Then and Now

Feeling really grateful for the press Barbershops of America has been getting lately. It feels good when people really connect with your personal work. Barber Evo Magazine ran an article and it was on the front page of today’s San Diego Union Tribune, which caused a number of really kind emails from people who read it. One in particular mentioned that the images reminded him of the shop he grew up in. Exactly the kind of emotional reaction I hope people will have when they look at the book.

CLICK HERE TO GRAB A COPY FOR YOURSELF OR AS A GIFT

BarberEvo Magazine

San Diego Union Tribune

Barbershops of America - Then and Now

It’s safe to say that any plans you previously made in the last 6-ish months have all gone to shit. Such is the case with my new book “Barbershops of America - Then and Now”. The two other versions of this were self published in the past, but I’m proud to say you are looking at my first “published” book, with Schiffer Publishing out of Pennsylvania. I had some grand plans for a release party, but obviously none of that will be happening. Such is the world we now live in. At first this was really upsetting, but after thinking about it for a while, I decided there was no point in fighting the facts and the best course of action was to embrace the times we are in. Maybe it’s not ideal, but so what? You can only plan so much. My man Mike Tyson said it best - “everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face”. Well, the whole world is getting punched in the face right now. So we must adapt. Now I choose to think that the book will be a boost of positivity and happiness to anyone who decided to pick up a copy. The timing doesn’t really matter.

Over the past couple months I’ve been watching a lot of webinars about photo books. And it never fails that the host presents a question to everyone watching - “why do you want to make a photo book?” For some that might be easy to answer and others probably haven’t given it enough serious thought. While I could go on for days about this topic, two things eventually stuck in my mind as answers to that question: 1) I believe in the power of photo books to bring people joy and knowledge 2) I despise what the iPhone and social media have done to photography and feel a need/responsibility to constantly create something that people can own and hold in their hand forever.

Barbershops of America is a series I’m emotionally connected to after working on it for 8+ years and traveling 200,000+ through all 50 states of the USA. For a project like this I don’t see any other place for it to live than a book. One of the main goals is to preserve the history and culture of barbering in our country, and what better place than a book? Otherwise the images just sit on a hard drive or website never to be seen.

Click HERE to purchase a copy of the book.

If you live outside the USA then your cheapest option for delivery is Amazon.

Barbershops of America - Then and Now

Barber Evo Magazine

Barbershop Photography

A while ago I was asked to write a piece in Barber Evo Magazine sharing my thoughts on how the barber industry has changed. It was an obvious “yes” as it’s something I’m very passionate about and happy to share. Here is the magazine spread as well as what I had to say. Unfortunately the book is out of print, but you can still buy prints from the series.

Click here to check out the book.

Barber Evo Magazine

Angel’s Barbershop - Seligman, AZ featured in Barber Evo Magazine.

Doug's Barbershop

Doug’s Barbershop - Houston, TX featured in Barber Evo Magazine.

At this point it almost sounds stupid to say out loud that barbershops have changed. And even if that’s a massive understatement, it’s true. Back in 2012 when I first began my “Barbershops of America” project, it looked like traditional barbering was becoming a thing of the past. Then a year or two later the explosion started. Barbering became sexy. Everyone wanted to do it. And the next thing I knew there was a barbershop on almost every street corner. The way I see it today, there are 3 different schools of new age barbers: those looking for a quick buck, those who want to be Instagram famous, and those looking to carry on the old traditions while also adding their own modern twist. Old time shops are something that couldn’t and shouldn’t be replicated. They are simple places with a way about them that naturally came to be with age. The old timers never gave any consideration to looking cool, and because of that, they just were. What you see in their shops is sort of a living thing that organically grew over 40, 50, or 60 years. Each shop has it’s own personality that’s a direct reflection of the barber and his friends/clients that have been walking through the same doors their whole life. 

I’m not a barber and I don’t believe there is a right or wrong when it comes to building a shop. If it makes you happy and you’re doing it for the right reasons, then go for it. However, I have been to over 1,000 barbershops in all 50 states of the USA.  So what I do have is a very informed personal opinion. And my opinion on the negative side is that a lot of barbershops have become very impersonal and sterile places. Some are owned by people who are not barbers and never planned on spending any time there, so the shop lacks any real identity. They could be owned by absolutely anyone. There is no defining characteristic besides some sort of aesthetic that you could easily mistake for a high end salon. Again, this is just my opinion, but people continue to patronize a barbershop because they know the barber and on at least a couple levels, they connect with the same things. The shop becomes very familiar and welcoming because you can talk about your shared interests. Walking into most barbershops these days, you would have no clue what the barbers do besides cut hair. There are no pieces of their personality hanging on the wall or glimpses into their life on the mirror. You can almost compare them to a bank in the sense that you could swap out the teller every single day and nobody would have any idea if that person had been working there for a day or 30 years. Walking into a bank is very soulless. You do your business and get the hell out, but only after the teller asks you the same question they asked every other person that has ever approached their window - “so, do you have any big plans for the weekend?” Sure, these barbershops are visually more slick than a bank, but not necessarily and more soulful.

On the positive side, there are people doing beautiful things with their shops. And I’m not strictly talking about the design. Shops that you walk in and instantly have some understanding of who the owner is.You know that his personality has oozed out of him and into the shop. “Eagle and Pig” in Costa Mesa, California comes instantly to mind. Owner Dane Hesse has done a tremendous job there. His t-shirts and stickers say things like “the one and only” for good reason. There has never been and never will be another shop like his. Dane is a 1/1 and you see that in his shop. Walking in the door you practically run right into his classic Ford pick-up truck, which is a constant work in progress. Once you make your way around the truck there is a rack of surfboards and the walls are filled with very unique pieces. All of which are a part of his personality. You know what Dane is into. He is a really smart guy, but he didn't build his shop so that you or anyone else would think it’s cool. It’s almost a clubhouse for him, his friends, and anyone else that enjoys spending time there while getting a great haircut. Of course he has a barber pole and the old chairs, but more than anything he wants you to receive top notch service. That’s tradition. Great service. Barbers aren’t a gift that their customers are lucky to have access to when they aren’t off making celebrity house calls. 

If you want me to name drop other shops, then people should look to places like Pugsly’s Barbershop / Pugsly’s Sideshow in Kingston, NY, Joe’s Barbershop in Chicago, Franklin’s Barbershop in Philly, Shane’s Barbershop in San Mateo, CA, and Mark Jason Solofa Men’s Grooming in Berkeley/Danville, CA. These are guys that get tradition and service. Crossing over from the street into their shop, you feel a tangible vibe. You can also feel the pride they have for what they do. They want you to feel welcome but you also know immediately that people walk out with a quality haircut. Their shops are well thought out. Curated but not overdone. They are the real deal. Not for everybody, which is the point. You can’t really say that there is one defining visual element to barbershops today. Because for better or worse, they are all different. The important thing is that “different” comes from the right place. It needs to come from the barber. The walls at Shane’s are covered with skateboards and music paraphernalia  because that’s where he came from and that’s what he’s into. Joe’s has been in business since 1968 when it was a one man shop that Joe Sr. opened. Sr. still cuts but Jr. took it over a while back and since expanded it to 8 chairs. Still though, you can feel the history. Right inside the front door is a pile of vhs movies, 8-track tapes, and repaired record players that Sr. has for sale. On any given day he might have a repaired bicycle for sale out front too. That’s just him. Not in a mean way, but if you don’t like their style, they don’t care. A real barbershop is a friendly place but it can’t be for everybody like the shitty sports bar that has the pennant of every NFL team hanging in the ceiling.

30 years ago would you have seen skateboards, big screen tv’s, or battle trophies hanging in a barbershop? No. That’s not the point. Times have changed and so have people. That’s how the world works. And no matter the industry, there will always be different schools of thought that don’t agree. I’m from the school that believes barbering is a humble and creative profession that would be nothing today if it weren’t for the countless years of tradition that got us here. So while having the pole, the chairs, and the proper tools are a must, it’s the other things that count. Create a shop that comes from within. Grow your business with a genuine purpose, take care of your customers, leave your ego at home, and don’t wear your fuckin’ sunglasses indoors.

Barbershop Los Angeles

Los Angeles Barbershop - Photography

Traditional Barbershop - Old School

People were always saying “Oh, you haven’t been to Vinny’s in Los Angeles? You have to go check out Vinny’s”. Heard that constantly, and after reaching out a couple times with no response, I remember thinking “they must just be a bunch of LA assholes”. Thankfully, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Like most barbers, the crew is a solid bunch of guys that like to have fun and probably don’t pay much attention to random emails from unknown photographers. Omar Romero is the owner, who not only put together an extremely slick shop, but also might be the owner of the best head of hair you’ll see on a human being. Seriously. As you’ll see from the exterior shot, it’s a very unique place. It occupies the bottom floor of a building in what I can only assume used to be two different apartments. What I love the most is that they kept the entrance the same, in that there are different doors for each side of the shop. Omar and all his guys are also one of the only crews around that dress from head to toe in uniforms. How’s that for carrying on tradition?

Follow Omar on Instagram @omarthebarber and the shop @vinnys_barbershop

Click here to check out “Barbershops of America”

Click here to read the last Q&A from The Proper Barbershop.

“….we should all be grateful for people walking in to our shops. They don’t owe us crap….

1) Where are you from and what did you do prior to becoming a barber?

I’m originally from Ensenada Baja California but I grew up in South San Diego, CA.

Before becoming a barber I had varies odd jobs. Bus boy, server, did landscaping and worked almost every summer with my dad. He’s a retired Truck driver.

2) How did you get into barbering?

it all started with watching Cry-Baby and I love Lucy... I know it sound cliché but it’s true. I’d also watch early Elvis with his amazing hair! I loved hair instantly. I was 8 when I started to appreciate good hair in cinema and magazines. When I got to middle school i always wanted a proper haircut but to my surprise it was almost non existent. It would frustrate me and made me start researching more about the whole barbering world. I soon realized that it wasn’t just about a haircut. More of a tradition that I grew to obsess over! I would instantly be defensive when I’d set foot in a barber shop, always knowing that I would be disappointed. I realized that people who were barbers at that point (mid 90s) were just doing it for a quick buck. As soon as I realized that, I started manifesting this idea of a shop with charm of yesteryear but efficiency of modern times.

At 16 1/2 I met my mentor, Mr. Ralph Upshaw and his son Rick Upshaw. They opened their doors to me and and they got me on the right path. It was far for me so I decided to stay in San Diego and finish my hours at Associated Barber College.

3) What was your experience at Sweeney Todd's like?

It was a very important experience!

Without going there I wouldn’t have learned the importance of structure. I have always been a stickler about a clean shop. Even if the shop was owned by people whom didn’t care much about keeping tidy.

Todd Lahman showed me that taking pride in being a barber was something special. That IT IS a real job and it must be treated as such.

4) What did you take away from Sween's that is in place at Vinny's?

Again, structure and consistency

5) The building that Vinny's occupies is quite unique for a barbershop. Do you know the history of it? Why did you choose that building?

All I know is that it was built in 1917 and it’s been many different store fronts.

I chose that building, honestly for convenience. I used to live down the street because it was so cheap in that neighborhood (at the time).

I saw it up for rent for over a year and I needed to do something quick. After I left Sweeneys I had a “speak easy” barber shop behind Golden Saddle Cyclery in Silverlake. They shared a space in the back with our local comic book store “Secret Headquarters”. My friends David Pifer and David Ritchie (owners of SHQ) gave me a spot there and I rented for 1 year. I had to make my business legit...

6) There are a lot of solid shops in LA. How was it opening your shop in Silverlake?

It was fine. There are a lot of shops in LA and I knew that going in, but I didn’t let that hold me back. I decided to put my head down and just plow forward. I figured if we give the public genuine/ sincere service that we won’t have to worry about competition. There is so many people that need cuts! I won’t allow myself to have hang ups like every shop owner I had ever worked with.

2 of my guys just opened up a shop each about 2 miles away from Vinny’s. Beautiful shops, and I couldn’t be prouder or happier. Víctor Bañuelos opened Elysian Barber Shop (@elysianbarbershop) and Arya Abarghoei opened Victory Barber Co. (@victory_barber_company)

7) What do you get into outside of the shop?

I love cycling, making music, camping and Bodyboarding

Tell me more about the music

I started music right before I decided to stick to barbering. I thought it would be a good fit.I figured I could cut hair anywhere I traveled to.I’ve been part of a independent label for almost 20 years now. ‘WILD Records’ (@wildrecords). I record most of the acts on it and I also currently perform with my band Omar & The Stringpoppers.

8) Biggest lesson you've learned as a barber turned shop owner?

Grown men are very fragile..... (customers) hahaha.

Expand on that

if a person shows up late to their appointment and we have to skip their turn, they get bent out of shape and take it personal, not realizing that the next person after them is probably on a lunch break or a tight schedule.

Or if you “squeeze” them in they take it as a personal attack and throw in your face that they pay or tip well.

To me it’s not about the tip or the money (don’t get me wrong, I NEED money), but it’s about running a well oiled machine. Respecting every customer that helps feed my children.

9) There are 10(?) chairs at Vinny's. What is the key to managing all those barbers?

I think the key is to listen to the people renting out the chairs. If they have input, hear them out. A lot of times they have better ideas than I do.

Respect their stations, lockers, knick knacks etc...

Also, the biggest one- lead by example!!!! I can’t stress that enough.

I hate shop owners that want to be the “Boss”

Be a leader. Roll your sleeves up and get things done.

At the end of the day, when the barbers start leaving the nest, you’ll be left without your “minions” to do your “dirty work”.

Get in a good habit to show your crew that we all have to have each other’s backs and that we all have the same greater good goal...

10) Vinny's is one of the only shops I see where the barbers are wearing uniform tops, bottoms, and shoes. Can you talk about your decision do that and why you run your shop the way you do?

Reason for uniforms is because I feel that if you put on the uniform it makes you feel professional, clean and well put together. I felt like it is important that when patrons walk through our doors they see our staff and recognize that we in fact work here and are ready to serve you.I used to cut hair in regular clothes and always felt like I was rushing through haircuts or wasn’t fully invested in the days work. As if I was just in for a few and then had to rush out.

Besides- walking around with other people’s hair all day long is just not for me. Haha.

Once you throw the uniform on it feels like you’re the one in charge of your station and service.

11) Random thoughts on what you do.....

Yeah, we should all be grateful for people walking in to our shops. They don’t owe us crap! In fact without them we won’t eat. So stay grounded! Respect everyone and the rest will fall in place.

Lucky's Barbershop - New Hampshire

Best Barbershop in Concord, New Hampshire

Lucky’s Barbershop

While putting this post together, I realized that there are no pictures of Josh (owner of Lucky’s). When Mojo and I went to the shop, he didn’t get there till after I had finished shooting, and by that point we had got into a great conversation, which made me completely forget about making a picture of him. What’s even worse is we were just together two days ago and it completely slipped my mind again. Oh well, next time. The only way I know how to explain Josh is that he is a very genuine person. He puts himself out there and has nothing but love for everybody.

Give the shop a follow on IG @luckysbarbershop

Click here to check out the book.

Click here to check out my barbershop prints.

“After escaping school, I ended up cruising around the country in a 1977 B-100 custom van with Aerosmith airbrushed on the back.”

1) Where are you from and what did you do before becoming a barber? 

I’m from Concord,New Hampshire. It’s the Capital and we are known as the “Granite State” because of the mass amount of granite stone in our quarries. It can be found in a lot of different parts of the world, including many monuments in Washington D.C.  

Concord is located in the central part of the state, and fun fact- when you’re sitting in my Barber chair you are exactly one hour to the city of Boston, one hour to the white mountains, and one hour to the ocean. It’s pretty unique to have that many amazing things in such a short distance away. Most people don’t have any of those, let alone all of them and so close. I think half the people that live here is because of these things and the others don’t care, forget, or are too busy working. 

    So my first job ever was working at a full service gas station at the bottom of the hill from where I grew up in East Concord, which is on the north side of the Merrimack River off of exit 16. You can’t miss it, it’s still there today but with a new owner. A traffic circle/roundabout was installed recently in front of it because of the amount of accidents at the intersection. My father used to bring me down there every week to hang with him and the mechanics. They’d be talking and hanging out and I’d be down below the cars hanging in the pits when that was still legal to have. Years ago they did away with them for obvious safety concerns. My best childhood friend Matty worked down there as well. I remember it well- gas was under $.90 cents a gallon and Old Gold smokes were less than $10 per carton. You’d drive across the tube and the bell would ring and we’d come out from inside and pump your gas, top off all your fluids and check the air- all usually for free. I learned a lot in a quick period of time from that place. I was proud to work there. Unfortunately I was fired only a handful of months later only to be accused of stealing from the station. Sadly they didn’t believe me and they sent me on my way. Fortunately for them they caught the mechanic that was stealing only a short time later but never apologized to me. In return my Father never brought coffee down there in the mornings ever again, and rumor has it that he may have made some direct statements that kept them inside their garage bays when he would drive by. He taught me that your word is your bond and that I didn’t come from a family of liars. I followed that rule my whole life. After that I ended up working retail at our local mall at a sporting goods store as part of a deal for some trouble that I got in shortly after getting my license. Nothing crazy, but part of my probation was applying for jobs and they were the ones that took me first as a temp, right before Christmas time. That was where I honed in my customer service skills and thoroughness. It was strictly enforced and it fit me well. I loved helping people out and finding what suited their needs. I did that and ended up picking up another retail job on top of that at the other end of the mall to keep busy, keep my car on the road, put a couple of bucks in my wallet and most importantly away from school as much as possible. You see, work has always been my escape and my savior(outside of music) I knew from a pretty early age that school just wasn’t for me and that college was not part of my future. Work gave me everything I needed and taught me everything that life hadn’t up to that point. After escaping school, I ended up cruising around the country in a 1977 B-100 custom van with Aerosmith airbrushed on the back. That was it’s own adventure and taught me some life lesssons that New England hadn’t offered me yet. After being a nomad, and avid couch surfer, I ended back on the east coast and then back home slinging bagels and coffee with the other misfits in town. Now I was an adult and had found and solidified my tribe. It was the precursor to Barbershop Life.

It's interesting that you found and solidified your "tribe". Old time barbers seem to me to be in a way very isolated, not knowing much about what happens outside their town. The next generation of barbers (which I would say you're in) though, are very connected. Barbers now are definitely part of a "tribe" that embrace and support each other. Talk about that...

Well, it’s interesting. I was just talking to some Barber students today that stopped by the shop to shadow. I came up in a time where I understand that isolation and disconnect from how that generation feels- because that is the generation of Barbers that I grew up going to as a kid and thats the same era of Barbers that I worked with when I first got out of Barber school 20 years ago. You’ve got to understand, at least here in New Hampshire, that Barbering had become almost nonexistent. When I enrolled in Barber school in 1999 there had not been a Barber school in our state for over two decades, the last one had closed in 1977. So when I graduated and got my Barbers license in 2000, I was the first person in New Hampshire to bridge that gap in a very long time. I’m very proud of that fact, but in reality it has nothing to do with me, it was just the timing. In fact it would’ve been great if there was never a lapse in Barbering and it had continued to flourish not only in our state but across the country and in the world, but that’s really not the case. My first job was working with two Korean War Veterans that had been cutting hair in Barbershops since the 50’s, and the way that they talked about the time period when they first became Barbers and started working was that Barbers were a dime a dozen and were not highly respected. For a lot of people it was just a job and a way to put food on the table back then. I think that you didn't have the same artistic culture that surrounds it today. For a lot of these people I think they viewed other Barbers more as competition than their peers or friends, when in reality there’s always been enough hair to go around for everyone, back then and still today. I think with the emerging and continuous growth of social media and other various online platforms you are seeing that not only is it not as mysterious and secretive as it once may have been, but that it is a worldwide phenomenon. There’s no way that the majority of these people that have tens of thousands of followers online are only being followed by other Barbers. People are paying attention to what they’re doing. That strikes my curiosity but it also gets me excited to know that even though we feel like we have a very important and dynamic role in our communities and in this world – other people are starting to finally recognize that and in return are keeping us all busy and making us become better practitioners. So just like anywhere else in this world, I think you carve out your niche and you start to figure out where you fit in.  It took me a long time to figure out what my role is and where I belong. Sometimes under certain circumstances you need to take inventory and create it for yourself when it’s not there. What’s great about my position as a Barber but more particularly as a shop owner and operator is that I’m not trying to mimic and clone myself but I’m actually trying to surround myself with like-minded humans who make me better and want to be better each day. I feel like I’ve been swimming against stream for a long time, but I hate treading water and becoming stagnated. I live in a world where we set our own standards and we keep focused on our own work and what works for our customers. I’m not worried or concerned with the majority of what’s going on outside of here. I listen to my customers, they have the answers, they are the ones that inform me most of the time of what they want or what they’ve seen. I don’t pick the cuts, I put them on. However, some of the people I work with are really in tune with the online community and some not as much. It’s a nice balance because we all benefit from each other in the long run and I like and appreciate that. I am learning, and I’m making more efforts to try and connect with people outside of here because I do believe it’s important and honestly it’s cool that there’s others out there that feel and carry themselves like you(we)do.

2 ) What sent you into being a barber?  

I’ve never been good at short stories and am usually long winded, but I tend to talk fast in real life and faster in my head. Basically up to age 12, my Father would bring me to the Barbershop when I was staying with him on the weekends. Little did I know that one particularly early and hot morning in July that in combination of his lack of patience and the long line of people in front of us that he would have me cutting his hair in his tiny 3rd story apartment with no AC and barely a bathroom later on that day. He still doesn’t quite remember if he acquired the clippers when he was in the Service or if it was to shave down his old German Shepard’s that he used to own, train and show.  Well a can of WD 40, a Phillips screwdriver and a lack of choice had me shaving his head in no time. He assured I could do no worse than him, and that I had the better angle. Initially reluctant, and with no say in the matter-the first pass was made on the right side of his head. I remember vividly when his fluffy white hair hit my shoe, I stopped and looked down and he said “don’t stop now.”  By the end of that week- anyone and everyone that I knew within a couple miles stretch got a haircut from me. I was thrown to the mercy of this braided cord, loud, old, overheating clipper. It was perfect!

3) Where did the inspiration for your shop come from? 

My true inspiration was a combination for a love of old things and the first shop I worked at out of Barber school. Growing up, we didn’t have two nickels to rub together most of the time. So most of the time the stuff we had was either bought from yard sales and flea markets, hand me downs or from the dump from the next town over. And it was cool! I never knew the difference growing up till I hit middle school and met other kids with more fortunate situations. I would say it’s all I’ve ever known, and always appreciated. There’s a life that’s been breathed into something that’s been used or loved before. New stuff has never really appealed to me, except for sneakers. I was born with a broken sniffer, but I can still smell (at least in my mind) the highly intoxicating beautiful aroma of a box of shoes opened up for the first time, gasoline fumes in the air and the occasional whiff of talc powder. It’s the simple things! Also, equally as important-my first job as a Barber was at a shop from 1920 that still had the majority of the original fixtures. It’s all I’ve ever known and all I’ve ever cut in and on. It’s not just a look or gimmick, it’s real to me. I sat in chairs like those as a kid and I cut hair in chairs like those  now as an adult. There’s a beauty in the detail and organization of a well curated shop. It doesn’t make the haircut better, but it sure doesn’t hurt the overall experience and aesthetic either. 

4) You own two shops. That's a lot of barbers to manage. How do you handle that? 

I’d be lying if I told you it wasn’t a lot, but it’s grown carefully and steadily over the years, preparing me the best it could to get to this point. There’s currently 12 Barbers at Lucky’s including myself. I think the locations and the customers were ready before I was. It takes the right ingredients to make the cake rise and not fall. After almost twenty years I’ve got a pretty good grasp on what I like and what I want. Most importantly what I don’t want. I’ve managed to surround myself with talented hardworking humans that exhibited qualities that I admired in them before they ever held a pair of shears. I’ve learned that it’s a lot easier to make someone a better Barber than it is to make them a better person. I can’t express this enough. I’ve found people that compliment myself and the shop, and in return have become a very strong and fundamental being of Lucky’s. It’s pretty well oiled, but if you know me then you know that I’ve got a thousand irons in the fire at all times. Mediocrity and complacency don’t exist in my life. You’d need an elephant tranquilizer to slow me down, and that’s probably not enough. It’s all I know. Set the bar high, smash it, repeat. If you’re not moving forwards then you’re going backwards. My old man said that’s why the rear view mirror is so much smaller than the windshield. Don’t forget what’s behind you in the past, but keep your eye on the future in what lies ahead of you. 

5) Why did you open the second location? 

It was out of necessity, not want. The area I opened in didn’t have a lot of options. My buddy would tell me “you can get a haircut here, just not the one you want.” Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I think we offer something special, something more than a just a haircut. You’re building relationships, friendships, trust and community. Call it what you will but you can’t fake this shit, no matter how good your social media looks, you’ve got to deliver the goods at the end of the day, and that’s what we do best. We are service practitioners and we will ALWAYS need them more than they need us. Drop the attitudes and learn your history. If you’re in this for a quick buck and some popularity then maybe it’s the wrong career for you. But if you want to build a livelihood to take care of you and yours and have a long life doing it-the sky is the limit. We have something special (in my opinion) to help people out with and in return they help us more than we could ever imagine. Two years into the second location and I’m very happy to be a small part of a great town with a great history. Have you seen that video of the Barber that’s over 100 years old? I wish! For him, at this point it’s got to be by choice, by love. You know his house is paid off, his kids are grown and probably even great grandparents and you can bet the worlds a million miles from the one he was born into, but he’s still here and hairs still growing. I’m thankful for this trade and I’ll be forever grateful. A vampires life for me! How else could you repay this world for such a gift in a short period of time?

6) Thoughts on where barbering is today? 

Barbering is off the rocks and cruising. I hear its one of the fastest growing trades in many parts of the country and even abroad. It’s no surprise, open up your phone and go online and look at social media. We’re everywhere! You’d be hard pressed to throw a quarter into a crowd and not hit a Barber nowadays. It doesn’t bum me out, it makes me happy. I hold no bearing over the future of Barbering, but I sure as hell can tell you that it’s not for the weak of spirit, dedication, or mind. It’s physical, it’s mental and its over compassing at times but if you’re a tourist -get out of the way or you’ll get steamrolled. All I ever ask to anyone that inquires to me about it is: to love it like your own, to take care of it, mend it and honor it for what it is. We’re carrying the torch and you can bet it’s not going out on my watch.

7) What do you get into outside of the shop? 

Music has been my moral compass outside of what I was taught at an early age. It embodies a spirit of freedom, art, conviction, dedication, passion, and emotion. Strangely enough it’s qualities like those that seem to be in most Barbers that I like,respect or admire and they seem to carry within themselves. For me, it was there before Barbering and before cutting hair entered my life. It’s been my social circle, my getaway and my salvation. It’s brought me some of the the most memorable times of my life with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s brought me to corners of the Earth I didn’t think were possible. It’s how I met my Wife, and it’s made friendships that I’ll forever appreciate and hold deeply in my heart. It’s brought light into the darkest corners and filled in the holes when I needed it most. 

    Also, very importantly- my animals. Two rescue dogs, and two rescue cats. I could go on forever, but I’m telling you, I don’t want to live in a world where they don’t exist. It’s a love that’s unconditional/24 hours a day. My next life, my next time around-I want to come back as a dog, a rescue dog. I’d be willing to endure some hard times up front for a lifetime of love and spoils on the end. Lord knows most of us on Earth have been to hell and back to see the upside of down. That’s how I treat my animals. They’re worth it and I put them before myself. I’d say they rescued me.

More specifically, how are you involved with music? 

Borrowed my first bass when I was 14, played in my first band when I was 15 and never looked back. The ties between Barbers and music is more synonymous than ever and sometimes it feels the same way in or out of the shop. Met a lot of my Barbers because of music, started and played in bands because of those Barbers, and got to travel the country and abroad because of those Barbers. Some were friends before being Barbers, some after. It’s a crazy world and I’ve got to experience some things outside of the shop that I’ll never forget and always be thankful for. 

Favorite bands?

Far too many to list. Chances are if you don’t like or can’t appreciate or respect A Tribe Called Quest or Gorilla Biscuits then we probably have less in common than most. Musically, morally or fashionably. I’m more open minded than ever when it comes to music today though.  If it sounds good to me- I don’t care what genre, or who’s making it. Turn it up!

8) Something people would be surprised to know about you? 

Often times I have immediate connections with people in my chair, but outside of this part of the world I live in, I often feel disassociated and more of a loner and a wallflower believe it or not. I’m great one on one, but more often then not I have a sense of aloneness or not belonging. Not in a sad way or even depressing way really, sometimes just more lost, sometimes more comforting. I could talk to strangers all day long about personal details and share stories, but a lot of that shuts off when I’m not cutting hair. I wouldn’t call it antisocial, I don’t know what really? It’s definitely not from a negative place at this point in my life, it’s just always been there since I was a kid. It’s something I think a lot about and in some ways try to work on. I love connecting with people so it’s strange. If you catch me one on one-I’ll listen all day to you and talk all night! 

What are you doing to work on that? 

Being honest with myself helps, and sometimes hearing it out loud or from other people is a good reminder. It might sound cheesy to some, and maybe would’ve once upon a time to an earlier version of me- but looking in the mirror and owning it is the one of the biggest forms of self reflection and self respect. If you can’t jive with yourself and you don’t like what you see, sometimes you’ve got to make a change. I get it, hindsight is 20/20, but there’s no excuse this day and age to make an effort to become a better version of you. All the tools are available. Start with yourself and build upon that and you’ll see the rest get onboard or jump off the ship.

9) Random thoughts or ramblings on what you do....

Barbering was here before us and no doubt long after us. Don’t be a one trick pony, try new things, ask questions, and help each other out. The worlds a small place but I wouldn’t t want to paint it. There’s enough hair to go around, and if you’re driven and if your passionate- you’ll get better and it will take care of you well beyond your years. As of lately though, I’ll be honest, this day and age feels more divided than I can ever remember and it’s getting real old. The beauty that lies in our country particularly, is that we should all have the opportunity, free will, and be able to rely on the foundations and principles that are supposed to unite us not divide us. Cut the bullshit, take a deep breath and open up your mind and let’s get back to work. MLK once said “ we may home come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”  I say let’s keep it afloat. Other than that, give me about a hundred more years of this life and check back in on me. Until then, thanks to my family, friends, customers and anyone that was ever in my corner throughout this journey. 

The Best Barbershop in Chicago

Joe’s Barbershop - Chicago

Traditional Barbershop Photography

Joe’s Barbershop in Chicago is a rad place. And that’s a fact. Not an opinion. Maybe it’s the history or the general attitude of people in Chicago, but I really dig Joe’s. It’s got something special. Joe Jr. is an old school cat, so I loved hearing his brutally honest answers about what has happened in the shop since Papa Joe started it back in 1968. If you’re ever in town, be sure to stop in. You won’t regret it. I try to every time I’m up that way and he always takes care of me. Bastard got me rolling on a serious giardiniera habit that I can’t seem to shake though.

Follow the shop on Instagram @joesbarbershopchicago1 or on their website at www.joesbarbershopchicago.com

Click here to read the last Q&A with Steve Purcell; owner of Uppercut Deluxe.

Click here to check out my photo book - Barbershops of America

“You don't see plumbers wearing gold plated monkey wrenches around their necks…”

1) What did you do before becoming a barber?

I have had my fair share of jobs in my 39 years on this planet. I have done everything from selling 18 Wheelers, to doing contract work for Harley Davidson corporate, to washing cars at a Lexus bodyshop. Most of my "career" could fall into the marketing / advertising world I guess you could say. Not going to college for a piece of paper always got me in the door at the lowest level, and then having to prove to upper management that I wasn't a complete piece of shit I would rapidly move up the ranks. I hate corporate America for the record. 

You sold 18 Wheelers???? How did your random jobs prior to Joe's translate or help what you do now?

Indeed I did. At the ripe age of 23 I handled the largest fleet accounts for a local freightliner dealer pretty much next to O'Hare airport.

It wasn't a bad gig, but it was more a career then a "job" so to speak. You cant just start in a job like that and expect to make any money. The older guys I worked with had been their 10-15-25 years and due to that were making a very nice living. 

My list of random jobs before I started in the barbershop has definitely helped me for sure. I always say I am glad I did have other jobs before starting in the shop with my dad, rather then just going right from high school to the shop. I have had both cool and asshole bosses, had to work holidays, had to miss events and such because I had to work, etc. Plus even today I consider myself a shop barber first, then an owner. I would never expect or want something out of my barbers that I wouldn't want to do myself (if that makes sense). 

2) Your old man started Joe's in 68'. Did he encourage you to follow in his footsteps? 

He didn't. If anything he told me to "stay away" from barbering all together. Just like his father (who was also a barber) told him not to get involved in the trade. All I heard growing up was , "use your head not your body" and " don't deal with the public" but here I am working in the shop. My father started teaching me to cut hair when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. One day an old Paidar barber chair ended up in our small 1 1/2 car garage. I didn't think anything about it because weird shit was always showing up on my pops garage (usually to be sold in the barbershop as back then it was more stolen merchandise trading post then barbershop). But no, that chair was there for a reason ! So for the next year or so every other Sunday before I was allowed to do anything I might have wanted to do I had to give my pops a haircut and a shave. Each time he would change it up on me, as last time I gave him a #3 on the sides with alittle off the top, and now this time he wanted a full cut done with shears left full in the back. Not knowing then what he was doing I thought he was just being difficult (which he still does very well at 72 years old), but now as I'm abit older I realize he was showing me different ways to cut hair. For the next few years I would cut my neighbors hair, friends, relatives over for holidays and such, etc. I bought my first car (a 1985 Toyota Supra) off the money I made doing garage haircuts.

3) What was the transition like when you started there and later convinced him to expand the shop? 

My father didn't want me to get into barbering, let alone work next to him in the then small / 250sq.ft. shop that he had called home / sanctuary away from his family since 1968. So after getting some of his family and my mom to talk to him he agreed. I graduated barber college and started full time @ Joe's in September of 2010 and literally could do nothing right (still cant in his eyes). At that time it was a two chair shop and with abit of effort and using what social media was around then we started to get busier. About 6 months in I started telling him we needed to clean up the shop abit and add a third chair (which we could barely fit). Of course this was answered with a no and a shaking of the little mans head. How could it be a good idea if his son was the one who thought it up? So after a few months of fighting he finally let me add the third chair. After hiring on a third barber it wasn't even a week before that third chair was part of the shop and we could of used a 4th. This was also around the time that our part of Chicago aka Logan Square was going through a change for the better aka "gentrification" if you wanna go down that road, so allot of young dudes were moving into the area around the shop and needing a good haircut. Fast Forward to 2013 and the shop had become a monster. We were winning every sorta social media "award", mentions in national publications, being used for tv and movie shoots, etc. Open 6 days a week with 5 barbers working 3 chairs (in rotation) six days a week averaging a 2 hour wait everyday. We extended our hours and just got busier. We raised our prices and just got busier. Sounds good on paper but was hell working in the shop back in those days. So after another year or so of fighting and bitching with the small man I finally convinced him to let me knock out the back 2 bedroom apartment and expand the barbershop to its current size. The conversation went like this:

“Dad, we need to expand the shop.

No

Dad, we are losing 20-30 customers a day due to them not wanting to wait. We need more barbers and more room. 

No

Dad, Those 20-30 people leaving could be taken care of by the addition of more barbers. We need to expand. 

No

Dad, I worked with some banks and I will pay for the expansion out of my pocket.

OK, Do it..”

So basically when I told him I wasn't needing or asking him to cough up any money to expand the place he was cool with it. Typical old man Italian. So a rough timeline is the shop was opened in 1968. I started in 2010. Added a third chair in 2013. Expanded the shop to its current 1400sq.ft / 7 chair size in 2015. I officially took over ownership of the building and the barbershop in February of 2015. 

Old school barbershop in Chicago, Illinois

4) You're both characters and seem like pretty hard headed guys. Describe your relationship in the shop. How has it changed over the years?

This is a easy one. My father and I have NEVER got along. Not when I was little. Not when I was just starting off in the shop. Not as I write this. Not sure if its because we are too much alike? Are both super hard headed? Who knows. It is literally his way or nothing when it comes to me, and just me. He is not that way with his customers. He is not that way with my older sister. It is literally his attitude towards me and only me. Flash back to 2013 when the shop was insanely busy and I remember him and I got into it on a Friday night after the shop had just closed. I remember sitting him down in his chair and me sitting across from him and saying and I quote, "Dad, I can not work with you anymore. So, you are either going to retire, we are going to expand this shop so I can get alittle bit of distance between you and I, or I am going to drown you in the toilet by your size 6 feet." The expansion started to gain steam about a week after that. Fast forward to present day and my 72 year old father is still working four 10-12 hour days a week and is more feisty and up my ass then ever before. Him still working is really why I have the schedule I have . Working just 4 days a week in the shop and only working 2 days with him. Two too many...

How does your old man feel about where the shop is today? 

My father is the definition of " old school". He doesn't show emotion, and is definitely not going to give me any sort of praise for what I have done to / for the shop. It's just how he is so it really doesn't bother me. I have seen him be that way since I can remember. The proof is in the business the shop is doing, the amount of haircuts we complete every day, the amount of repeat business we have, and so on. That's how I measure success, not Instagram followers or how many t-shirts the shop sells. Hell, I give more shirts away then I sell. I am not one to hype myself up online, post pictures of haircuts, pictures of famous shop customers, or any of that crap you cant help but see online. The shop itself and what it is/has become is all the "creditation" I myself need. A smooth running shop with good barbers and good customers is all I can ask for, and I bust my ass to maintain that. 

5) Joe's is as I see it, a Chicago institution….

Tough question. I see it kinda in two ways. 1. Yes, 50 years, family business, son taking over from his father and expanding/growing business, etc.

2. No, Its a barbershop that has stuck around because the owner may or may not have been to stubborn to close it down / move it when the neighborhood turned into a ghetto in the late 90's. By just plain luck the neighborhood that the shop is in now is "booming". Barbering is stronger now then ever before. So, I am always torn when thinking of the shop as a "institution", guess it just depends on who I talk to. I can tell you one thing, barbers as of late could care less if the shop they work in has been around for 50 years or 5. As long as their Instagram accounts are popping and they are making $$$. The days of opening up a shop with say 2 dudes and having that crew around for the duration of the shop is long gone. So to answer the question Yes, Joe's is something special. And, no matter who does or doesn't work in the shop the shop itself will continue to carry on through the years.  

6) How do you manage a shop of 7 barbers? What do you expect out of them? 

Out of all the jobs / tasks I have had in my life up to this point the managing of people / being a boss has been the hardest. I work in my shop alongside my barbers so I try and make the shop / environment a place where I myself would want to work (as I do work there). From the expansion and more room to what's on the walls to the music being played to how well the shop is cleaned (which I do myself). Do I hang out with my barbers outside of work ? Do I not because I don't want to be seen as their "friend" but as their " boss" ? Do I play the roll of " cool boss" and let everything I don't like slide ? Do I play the roll of "stern boss" and sit down with them once a week and tell them what they are doing wrong ? Either way or direction has its good and bad sides to it. I have lost barbers due to things out my control, like how my father acts. I have lost barbers due to the shop down the street offering them 5% more per cut. I have lost barbers due to my "attitude" which is really just how I am. I have lost barbers who wanted to work in an appointment shop because that's what the cool Insta-Babers are doing now a days. So I really cant win. I have paid certain barbers more thinking they would stay working in the shop and they left. I have given certain barbers more leeway in coming in late / leaving early to try and keep them around and they have left. So now my approach is kinda the straight and to the point kinda thing. 1. This is the shop and this is how it's ran. 2. This is what your going to get paid per haircut and that's not going to change. 3. You have a job here for life if you want it. 4. If I happen to have a issue with your performance in the barbershop YOU will be the first to know. I would say that this method has been going well but I lost a barber about 3 months ago and will prob loose another by summer (have a gut feeling which I am usually not wrong about).So, if that does happen we do what we always do, keep chugging on. Everything in the shop has always evened out in the end.  

7) Joe's is everything I love about a barbershop. There is a lot of comedy and you want people to have fun, but you also don't want any bullshit fuckery. Talk about that. 

I do run the barbershop with a heavy hand, and I am well aware that some people don't "get" it and take it the wrong way. As I am an asshole or think I am the shit or whatever. I even made a website called " the dirty" a few years back (its still up there - just do a google search of my name) where an old customer of mine (yes I know who he is) posted a pic and article of me slamming me for being a "tough guy" with a crappy beard. Do I care that he did that ? No, and kinda take it with a smile that I got under his skin that bad for him to take his time and write that. Same as I feel about YELP reviews that say things like the haircut was great and the shop is cool but I was told to hang up my jacket and wont go back, 1 star. Atleast the haircut came out ok is what I think to myself when reading those kinda things. As said before I try and run the shop as I would want it to be as if it was a place I went to get my haircut. I don't want to see a bunch of peoples jackets thrown on the waiting chairs when we have a perfectly good coat rack. It looks sloppy and takes up chairs for waiting customers. I harp on my barbers to tell their customers to hang up their jackets but sometimes they just don't do it. People talking on their phones, people with the legs stretched out so people have to walk over them, guys wearing sunglasses inside the shop, people who waste beers, people who think the floor is a good spot to put their full cup of coffee, Men in flip flops complaining about that hair got on their feet, men in flip flops in general, etc. All things that drive me up a wall and you better bet people are going to hear about in my shop with my name in neon on it !

My first time in the shop I was wearing flip-flops and took some shit for it. I’ll definitely be leaving a bad Yelp review…

8) What do you get into outside of the shop?

I really never am "off" from the shop. No matter how much I try it is part of me. I mean I live upstairs ! But in reality I do more for the actual running of the shop on my days off then when I am behind the chair. Weather it be updating the website, social media whatever, lunch meetings with people about say a photoshoot in the shop, etc. This is what barbers don't see, the behind the scenes stuff that a good owner does to keep his shop afloat and floating higher then the other shops in the area. Sixty8 Provisional is a small male grooming product company I started back in 2014 which takes some of my time. Everything from product formulation to marketing to sales to fulfillment is all handled by yours truly. We sell it here at the shop, as well as 5-10 other barbershops and retail stores across the US. If it grows cool, if not its something to do which only compliments the barbershop in which it was created in. Sixty8 = the year my dad started Joe's. Also have two other "start-ups" that are in their infant stages that should do pretty well once their up and going. I have smaller roles in those so hopefully alittle effort up front can gain me some added income which would be nice. Besides the above I am into hot rods and classic cars, motorcycles, black haired tattooed women in heels, good food and booze with good company, etc. I have always said I can sleep when im dead.. 

9) Random thoughts about what you do....

I am a barber. Barbering is a trade like being an electrician or a plumber. Barbering is the oldest legal profession in the world. Barbering has put food on families plates, sent kids to college, paid for houses, cars, and so on for years. And yes of course I take what I do and my trade seriously and with respect. But, I can’t get a date to save my life on these online dating apps because when a woman see's "barber" as a profession It might as well say "doesn't make any money" to her. I love it when a customer in my chair asks, " so what else do you do to make ends meat ?" Or, " you cant really live of a barbers salary right?" . Believe me their is nothing better then rolling up to Chicago Cut (one of the best steakhouses in Chicago) in my 55 Bel-Air and some snobby older guy asks what I do for a living and tell him I am a barber. Just to watch his face go into some weird questioning look. Then you have these Insta-Barbers wearing gold barber poles around their neck and surgical masks doing backflips into crowds at barber conventions. I don't get it, but to each their own I guess. You don't see plumbers wearing gold plated monkey wrenches around their necks. Or electricians walking around with attitudes because of what they do. All trades, but barbering has something weird about it. I try and let the shop itself do the talking, rather then me myself posting every haircut I do in the shop. You don't see "Joe Jr. " stickers and t-shirts being produced but we make 20,000 Joe's Barbershop stickers a year to slap all over the world and have been since I started back in 2010. The shop is what's special, I am just it's care taker..

10) Best pie in the city? 

No one in Chicago calls it "pie" so I'm guessing you’re talking about Pizza ? I like all kinds of pizza so I have a few different spots for each style of "pie" as you put it. 

Deep dish = Peaquads  (Lincoln Park, Chicago) for sure. Thin crust Italian style = Gigio's in the burbs (Des Plaines, IL).  Thin crust square cut or "tavern style" = John's Pizzeria (Logan Square, Chicago). Napoli style = Pizza Metro (Wicker Park, Chicago).

Neon barbershop sign at traditional barbershop in Chicago

Best barbershop in Chicago

Uppercut Deluxe - Steve Purcell

Long before meeting Steve Purcell I was a fan of the Uppercut brand. I just dig what they do and how they do it. The content they put out is solid and so are the people they have on their roster. Not exactly sure how Steve and I first connected but it was on the phone, and I remember later meeting him in person and thinking, this isn’t the same dude I talked to. His voice and his person didn’t add up. He’s Australian and on top of the accent, has a very happy/positive tone to his voice and demeanor. In person though, he’s sorta of a hybrid between a skateboarder and a truck driver. He owns a company that very successfully sells a line of men’s grooming products, but he himself is un-groomed. RESPECT. He’s the exact opposite of the guy you think would be the owner of Uppercut Deluxe. And I mean that as a total compliment. He’s almost as ironic as me; a bald guy who has spent 6 years making a book on barbershops. Anyway, he’s got a rad story that I thought everybody would appreciate and I hope to talk with him more about in a longer format. Podcast maybe?

Click here for the Uppercut Deluxe website or follow them on IG @uppercutdeluxe.

Click here to read the last Q&A with Justin King from Rooks Barbershop.

Click here to check out my book.

“It's like jumping off a cliff and trying to build the plane before you hit the ground!“

1) What did you do prior to becoming a barber? 

I worked as a clean up kid in my dads butcher shop after school. 

2) What was the barbershop scene like in Australia when you thought about becoming a barber and what made you take the jump? What year was it? 

There was no scene! I was 15, late 90's, struggling at school and I'd always enjoyed seeing the barber with my granddad growing up. There was a job offer on the table at the local barbershop so I jumped at it. 

3) How did people react when you started on that path?

Brutal! The scene was totally misunderstood at the time, it was all super salon focused and no-one my age was doing it. But I knew I could make it into something rad. Its such a heritage trade. I was the ONLY kid in Australia doing the barber apprenticeship that year. Haha. My friends gave me heaps of shit about it...would call up asking for a perm or a purple rinse.

Literally the only kid? Where did you get the idea that you could make it into something cool? 

The ONLY kid. My grandad used to take me to his barber growing up, a hilarious old italian guy and I always loved the banter and bad jokes. I grew up surfing and skating so just wanted to create a space that I felt was rad, and just wanted to do it my way. I was 22 when I opened the shop, my every cent we had went into it and hoped for the best! 

4) How did people react when you opened your own shop?

This is where I saw the shift where people stopped rolling their eyes at the trade. People have to physically see things to understand it. We decked the shop out like a mates garage so it was a rad place to just come and hang. Once people figured out what we were doing in there, word spread pretty quick. 



5) What is the barbershop scene like in Australia compared to when you started?

Night and Day! Its awesome to see, it stokes me out. Barbering scene in Australia draws inspo from everywhere in the world- European/US/Asia we get the influence from everywhere and it merges out some amazing talent...plus our certification is strict here, to be fully qualified takes 3-4 years so you gotta earn your stripes the old fashioned way. 

3-4 years? That's crazy? Is it like America where you have to go to school? Or more like on the job training in a shop? 

Its on the shop floor learning, with some school elements. 4 long years!! Shitty pay and definitely a lot of shitty cuts on some brave customers who let me practise on them. 

6) How do Australians view American barbers/barbershops? 

Classic and traditional. Huge respect, some of my favourite barbers and shop fit outs are in the US. 

Care to name a few?

So many! Don't wanna leave anyone out. But I Iove the ones that haven't been updated since the 60's, they grow around the barber and the walls have stories. My ambassador crew are dear to my heart and are amazing barbers with rad shops. 

7) What prompted you to start Uppercut and how was it initially received by the locals?

It was the perfect storm, we couldn't easily access products for the shop that we loved. I have always been into mixing products together, and fascinated by the product process. 

The locals were overwhelmingly supportive, and still are! We were just doing what we thought was rad and did it the way we wanted to do it.

What do you mean by "I have always been into mixing products together?" What other kinds of products were you previously mixing together? 

I was mixing Oil based products with a water soluble/ gel base along with my kernels herbs and spices haha. I had a list of 4 products I would mix together and send my customers to the grocery store. My wife was always mad at me for clogging up our sinks. 

8) Describe the journey from the idea to where Uppercut is now. Ups/downs/expectations/growing pains/etc. 

It's like jumping off a cliff and trying to build the plane before you hit the ground! 

Looking back we were so naive when we started, the journey has taught us so much and we still learn as we go. We timed it well. If we did every single thing the same way but did it later, it wouldn't have worked. We've had amazing people involved in the journey and made lifelong friends, we've also had some huge let downs, which in hindsight has taught us some of our hardest lessons. 

You gotta block out the comments, everyone has opinions and if you listened to everything you hear you'd lose your mind. You're either too niche, or a total sell out. Or both! My vision for the brand has never changed, I always listen to my internal compass. 

I'm a huge believer in learning the best lessons from screw ups or let downs. Can you talk about one in-particular that happened and how you turned it into a positive? 

There isn't one major event that stands out. I've learned that if you can surround yourself with talented people and hire people who inspire and are smarter than you, thats half the battle won. Keep a thick skin and stay focused on your own race. People can be the hardest and the best part of business, looking back the highs and lows have actually happened simultaneously, you have to enjoy the journey along the way or you'll lose your mind. 

9) Uppercut is a very distinct and tangible "brand". How did that develop? Why is your roster filled with those particular people?

Coz they're my homies! Ha. They genuinely live the lifestyles so they can't help but be mad dogs. Uppercut is a family and the bigger the brand grows the bigger that family is. The biggest compliment I get is when people say they feel like its a big ass family. Mission accomplished. 

10) How do you keep the brand feeling so authentic?  

Refer to answer above!! We only bring in the good eggs. Mad love. 


11) Any random thoughts you want to get out....

Yes! How the hell did Tim from Syndicate get the front cover of your book? Haha just kidding love you Timmo