Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012:As Cheesy As It Sounds...A Year In Review

    Well here it is folks the end of the year is only a few days away and I figured since all the cool kids are doing these "Best Of..." list I may just as well join the band wagon and do a year in review. This is not in any particular order or by event just some stuff that I have personally payed attention to over the year or been a part of..

    The barber battle invade California!! These hugely popular events that have been going happening on the east coast for several years now are starting to take root in the Golden State. In Long Beach,Ca this past June was the 2012 International Beauty and Barber Expo. At this battle Ray Davila won for "freshest Fade" and "Tightest taper". Oh yeah did I mention he works at Hawleywoods in Long Beach.

   2012 is the year I found The Dollar Shave Club. i am really sure when and where these guys came from but when there video started popping up and my Facebook, twitter and other random social networks I had to check it out. I do not know if there razors are any good but I hear they are F**KIN' GREAT!

    The Man, The Legend, Clipper Educator Extraordinaire Ivan Zoot left Andis Clipper Company to join Marianna Industries. This has had to open up some new doors for his as an educator!

    GoldStar Barbershop  and  Bolings Barbershop in Visalia,Ca both celebrated there first year milestones. Congratulations

    I had the pleasure to finally meet the infamous Mohawk Matt from BOLT Barber and got to be involved in a Discovery Channel/Shark Week event in Venice and Pacific Palisades,Ca. This was one of the coolest things I have ever been able to be apart of and will be grateful for a long time!

   Speaking of Andis in support of there 90th anniversary they released a limited edition and individually number Master in a super clean red finish.

    I joined Covenant Barbershop for the Fresno Tattoo Convention this past year. i always love any time I get to hook up with Luis for any kind of event. They are always fun! Hope I will be there again this year!
Photo from Barber Connection

    Well I guess that is it....There is probably a shit ton of stuff I could find on BING or Google, but all I can say is that all the barbers I know have worked there assess off for the last year keeping shops open, more people are showing interest in going to barber school to learn a proper trade. I want to thank all the barbers that out there that keep us motivated and looking encourage us to look at what we do as more of a craft then a job...Thanks.
Cheers

Monday, December 24, 2012

Here It Is, The Last Review Of The Year: Shiner Gold

    Let me just get this out of the way...Adam Dorsett will no longer be making High Life Pomade products for the public. It will only be available for purchase at Electric Haven Tattoo and Barbershop. As a fan of High Life I want to wish him continued success with Electric Haven Tattoo and Barbershop.

    Shiner Gold Pomade hails from Phoenix,Arizona and yes this is a water-based pomade. The packaging is clean with the bushed metallic tin can with the black artwork. When you open the can you will find a bit of a clear pomade with what looks almost like an amber tint to it. The scent is a coconut that is not over powering, which is nice because coconut can sometimes be to much.

   Now on to the hold...Like all water based pomades you really want to make sure you are using it on dry hair because it will affect the way it holds. When I used it I used it on clean, dry hair but found that by the end of my work day at the shop the hold was starting to fall. This is not a bad thing I just think it means I am going to have to use a little more then I used.

    Now there is one issue I have and that is it is to similar to Grants Golden Brand Pomade out of Seattle, Washington.(see review here). So if you have used Grants then you are going to like Shiner Gold. The texture is a little lighter then that of Grants though.

    From what I am seeing the feedback to Shiner Gold has been super and I wish them a great 2013...If they keep putting out good products they are going to have a long successful career.

     I do not think Shiner Gold has a website yet so you are going to want to get a hold of them via Facebook.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wishing Everyone A Very Merry Christmas

    So it is Christmas time and I have not been as busy as I would like to be. I know some shops keep wicked busy some do not but we all have to work hard during the holiday season so that our customers look sharp for Christmas pictures and time with the family.

   I am going to be honest about something today. Last week was my birthday and I turned 39 and it was a tough week because not only was the shop I work in really slow and I was feeling like I was going nowhere in the shop I am in, not making enough money to provide for my family...etc.

   Yesterday I had to take a step back and look at one of the above issues (I still got some things to figure out going onto the new year) and that is the amount of money I am making and this is what I realized and I think sometimes anyone in the service industry who also lives on our tips has to remember something. Sometimes we make little or no tips for 1 of three reasons 1) crappy service: I really hope this is not the issue for you because I know I work hard to make sure all my customers are happy. 2) Cheap Bastards!: Welcome to life. Sometimes there are just dudes out there who are just cheap and that is one of those things you can not change.3) We Are All In The Same Boat: The people that come into our shops and sit in our chairs they work just as hard as we do, raise families like we do and we have to appreciate each and every customer.

    So as I finish this I would like to take a minute to thank every person who steps foot into our barbershop here in Visalia,Ca Thank you for your support and your patronage. We would not be who we are without you guys.

   To all the barbers, all the shop out there who work there buts off to provide great service to there customer, take pride in there trade and still continue to love what they do......MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

   Another blog that makes sense as I type it...Cheers! 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Devil Is In The Details

   So as a barber our job is to work to provide a great service to the guy sitting  in our chair. The time in that chair should be more then the haircut but everything that goes with it. The conversation, the cut, the straight razor, the bay rum...everything.

   The truth is it is easy to  blow through a haircut and get them out of your chair and take there money and get the next person in your chair. Pushing people through the shop like this does not mean you are going to make more money. When this is how you work it makes it difficult to build those good barber/client relationships that you want to build. I beleive there is nothing wrong with not only giving a good haircut but a good experience in the shop

   Just for the record I am not talking about taking almost 2 hours on a haircut but taking the time to give them a great cut and experience!

   As a barber I do my best to hit all the small things....eyebrows, ears, razor to the neck, bay rum and the massage. These little details make a difference with most guys and even if the gentleman in your chair may not notice the little details you as the barber should still go out of your way for those little things.

   In the end I think the small details are just as important as the haircut itself because we want them to be happy as they leave your shop and look forward to sitting in your chair again in a few weeks.