The last couple of weeks since the shop opened

   So GoldStar Barbershop is now open and we are in week three and it has been pretty cool. Frank and Liz Zaragoza are awesome and there vision for the shop is a good thing. We had our first write up in the newspaper this week. We were covered in the Fresno Bee in the new business section of the paper. You can click on the above link to read the article. Business is still a bit slow but we are already seeing things pick up because of the article. December 8th is going to be the grand opening and ribbon cutting for the shop. If you are interested in coming out feel free to get a hold of me so I can get you an invitation.

This week Ivan Zoot from Andis posted in his blog about the best flat tops in Hollywood. It was a cool post and got me to thinking Who has the best flat tops? I went straight to Tom Sizemore from when he was in Black Hawk Down. Simon Cowell also has a fairly sharp looking flat top hybrid and you can not forget Play from Kid n Play with his pimp hi top flat top!!

    Speaking of Ivan Zoot. This week at work I was helping one of our employees at the shop and she was doing a haircut on a customer with dark and I see she has a white Andis clipper comb and I find myself explaingin to her "Dark comb, light hair, light comb dark hair. You can not cut what you can not see"/ "I was like what just came out of my mouth!!" I sounded like I knew what I was talking about...Thanks Ivan!

    So now I need feedback. I need to find a new razor for work. I have been using the same Mr. Charles razor since 2007 but it is time to find something new. Give me you feedback and what you guys are using.

   Well as we go into the Thanksgiving week please keep in mind what is important...It is not money or the job but our families and our friends. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!

  

Grant's Golden Brand Pomade

   So every gearhead and greaser is always looking for the perfect pomade and the more I mess with pomades the more I realize there is no such thing as the perfect pomade,it is all based on the person using the pomade.

    So here is the number one question...Is water based pomade a pomade or a gel? I consider it a pomade. Just like there are lite, medium and heavy weight greases there are different water based pomades.

    The most recent one I have found comes from Washington and is called Grant's Golden Brand Pomade. Grant's Pomade has a somewhat clear color with a light scent. So the scent is not over powering. So far the I have not had to use a ton of it in the cuts I have done. This is a good thing depending on how much you need to use.

    For myself I had to use a little more because I had not had a haircut in a few weeks. I used it on someone who is growing there hair back right now and it seem to hold it down pretty well. Today I used it on a young man who had thick,course hair and was wanting to start cutting and styling his hair in a 50's traditional style (thanks MadMen). It seemed to be holding well.

   So what separates Grant's from Layrite, Suavacito or Lucky 13's "Juniors" pomade. It is definitely heavier then the "Juniors" pomade but I am not going to compare it to the others because in the end it is going to be the preference of the of the person using the pomade. I know people who use Layrite and will not use anything else.

   Oh yeah and Grant's also has a limited edition "Putty Pomade" that is water based as well. This may be worth checking out as well.

    I like there pomade and really think that if you prefer water based pomades you should try it out...plus they are a small company. Thanks to Oak Barbershop in Portland,Oregon for turning me on to this pomade.

Trends.....How far do they reach

So last night I read an article on the Times online that feature F.S.C. Barber and the topic was how we are seeing haircut styles from the 1930's era showing. This kind of article about mens trends have been popping up a little more often then normal with the help of companies tapping into the rockabilly scene, shows like MadMen, movies like J.Edgar...etc.

Movies and tv have always made an impact on what trends are blowing up but as a working barber here is my question; How far to trends reach? Do trends in mens style reach to all four corners of the country?

I know that in the area I live and work it sometimes seems like men do not care or  maybe worry (would be a better word) about what the current trends are in mens style or grooming and do not get me wrong this is not a bad.thing. Are cool trends only for the west village hipster, rich young trendsetters, European d.j.'s.....no way!

As a barber I would love to see more clients coming into the shop asking for cuts similar to what we saw during the 30's, 40's and into the 1950's. I think these very traditional mens haircuts, I think they are a great reflection of our craft as barbers.

Trends are a funny thing and in closing I think it is important for barbers to pay as much attention to men's trends as much as the general public does. I also think that men should be open to new things whether it is a new cut to even a new suit.

This is one of those things that made sense in my head as I wrote it so I hope it made sense as you read it. Click here to read the whole article on the Times website or go out and get today's times and read the article.

Hardcore and the Barbershop pt.1

So I am going to start tracking down barbershop/salons that are owned by dudes that came out of the hardcore scene. We already know of plenty tattoo parlors tied to hardcore, Now it is our turn as barbers to represent the our roots!!

    So recently I got a message from a very good friend of mine up in Portland,Oregon and the only reason he was getting  ahold of me this time around was to tell me about OAK BARBERSHOP there in Portland and to tell me who owns it. The shop is owned by Augustus Bowman who was in the band DESPERATE MEASURES (Youngblood Records). He played in DM for about a year and moved to Portland about 4 1/2 ago after working in a tattoo parlor in Maryland.

In 2008 Augustus decided to go to barber college and the only thing he had to say to me was " my only regret was not going sooner. I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love the life I'm slowly carving out for myself. It was a lot of work to get to the point where I was ready to open OAK, and it was a lot of work to physically build the shop, but it's finished and now every day I feel lucky that I get to go somewhere I built and do something I love"

I asked Augusts about the barber culture there in Portland,Oregon he said that it is kind of wierd since alot of the older guy are not the most "talkative" (this is something I have noticed since even I became a barber).  I'm pretty friendly with a few other barbers in town, but I think that comes down to the fact that I don't consider other barbers who work in actual barbershops competition. Not in an ego sense, but in a "there's half a million plus people in Portland" kinda way. Anyone who does good haircuts and respects barbering isn't my competition, cause they want the same thing out of their craft that I do, and the more good barbers, the more the public understands what we do is a practiced craft, and the 8 dollar chop shops and the great clips are the who all of our competition is, as it reduces what we do to a walmart mentality

If you are in the Portland area get in to see Augustus Bowman over at his shop OAK Barbershop, follow them on twitter @OAKBarbershop or look them up on Facebook.

Unused Rev labels that are going to be framed and hung in OAK BARBERSHOP

50 Years means little in Oregon

So this evening courtesy of  "A Barbers Life" blog I found this video that raises the question of our licenses as professionals and what it means to state governments.

So here is the question; "If you are an older gentlemen (this man is 82 and has been working for 50 years) and maybe had forgotten to pay your licensing fees. What should be done....Just have you pay your fees and be done with it, make you retake your practical  for your state just to make sure you are still on point or try to force you to go back to school?"

So I decided to do some research about this story and it is actually a bit disappointing. If this was a mix up on the side of the Oregon Board of Cosmetology and Barbering and the fact that they were not willing to allow this gentleman to pay the back fees and get back to work then that this is not a good thing.

This is a weird position to be in. It is not a black and white issue sometimes, but just judging this story at face value I believe that the State Board should of allowed this man to renew his license and pay all the back fee. More importantly I hope this is not an issue because of his age...remember the man in this story is 82 so did the state board think he was too old to continue working as a barber....I do not know.


To read this story for your self here are the links....lets get some feedback on this story:

82 year old Oregonian man closes barbershop.
Oregon Board of Cosmetology Decides Barbers Fate

Men's Grooming.....This Is Ridiculous!!

As a barber I am happy to know that men are searching out barbershops and looking for an experience that they are not going to find at a "salon'. I really appreciate the fact that companies like TIGI, aul Mitchell and REDKEN have all realized that men have become an untapped resource (products and color lines).

The question is.....Where is the line and who thought that this was a great idea for men?

Today I was reading an article from the Time Live about a company that is about to release a nail polish line for men. Unless you are a punk rock kid or a goth kid I personally do not know a single man who is going to wear nail polish and more importantly who thought that this was going to be a great idea.

I get it Johnny Depp may have wore nail polish in "The Rum Diaries" and he is an icon but he wore eyeline in the Pirates Of The Caribbean, but guys did not all of a sudden think 'Hey, Johnny Depp is wearing eyeliner so I think men should start wearing eyeliner!"

And last but not least...Te company who thought that it was a great idea to make fake eyelashes for men is STUPID!!!

As a guy I like to take a few minutes for myself....haircut, a shave and a few extra minutes in the barbers chair is a good thing. but remember we are guys not wormen....keep that in mind!!!

Movember

    The Waldorf Barbershop in Dublin, Ireland has become a bit of obsession of mine. Anytime there is a video online I watch it, I follow there website...etc. This is the shop would love to work in and grow in my trade in.
    Being a barber is a trade and it is one I am proud to be a part of. It is about other, it is about history and it is about community. This video is a good idea of how I feel about what I do....Enjoy the video.
    So Movember is not just about dudes growing mustaches but it is about men's health and Prostate Cancer awareness. It is a great cause....Find people involved support and donate!!