PROPOSAL BOOK
The Barber Shop DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX
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Contents Introduction...........................................1 Research..................................................3 Objective..................................................9 Design Proposal....................................11 Conclusion..............................................25
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Introduction
The Barber Shop is a bar located on the historical Mercer Street in what is referred to as the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, Dripping Springs. The city sits 30 miles west of the capital, and some even suspect that Johnny Cash’s performance in 1972 at the Dripping Springs Reunion—also known as the “Country Music Woodstock”—set the foundation for Austin’s expansive music scene. This also helped to shape the rebellious and lonewolf spirit of the residents in Dripping Springs which is lovingly referred to as “Drip” by residents. The Barber Shop bar has live music, hill country brews, and a strong local following. The buildings tin and wooden walls hold many stories. In 1924, before it was the bar, served as a car garage, and. later became a gas station (where it gained a touch of rebellion.) Finally, before it became the bar it is today, the building functioned as what the old timers chuckle and call “the old barbershop”. For the past quarter of a century, the building was not only a barbershop, but the only barbershop in Dripping Springs. Generations of families happily remember their first haircut, all the way down to their grandchild’s first haircut.
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Research
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Direct Observation
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While the building retains much of its historical structure, the stories hidden in the walls are absent from the physical appearance. The rebellious and fun side is shown in the decor and the long standing joke of how many people have still come looking for a haircut from the “barber shop.” In asking about the decor, the bartender let me in on the secret that all the stacked cans were found in the rafters after the building ended its Gas Station phase. The catch is that Dripping Springs was actually a dry county at the time. So, this drinking “hot-spot” didn’t start with the bar, but instead, the bar continues this Dripping Springs tradition.
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IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE BAR THAT REFERENCES ITS PAST?
Interview
CASEY WILLSON: Well, we have the cans. All the cans are the original cans that they found in the rafters after the gas station shut down. Drip was a dry county then, so it’s pretty funny … there is also the sign at the front that says how many people have come to the bar still looking for the actual barer shop.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES FROM WHEN THIS PLACE STILL WAS A BARBER SHOP? Martin Mingote: I remember my little brother got his first hair cut there.
DO YOU REMEMBER EVER GET YOUR HAIRCUT THERE? MM: The guy only knew two haircuts … THOMAS CARLTON: [laughs] I still remember that. I remember getting my hair cut there when I was in sixth grade. MM: [laughing] … he only knew the “buzz cut” and the “flat top.”
SOUNDS IMPORTANT. MM: Everything on Mercer Street has a story. The old barber shop was the only place to get your hair cut in Drip. TC: … The only place to get a beer in Drip. MM: Everyone ends here during Founders.
WHAT IS FOUNDERS? MM: Founders Day / Founders week is where people celebrate the founding fathers of Drip. They shut down the whole area and people drink beer in the streets. [Laughs] Home of the fifth largest washer pitching tournament in history. There is a carnival, kids stuff, and a parade. It’s a big deal in Dripping Springs. This bar is the local watering hole.
WHAT KIND OF CROWD COMES IN TO THE BAR ON ANY GIVEN DAY? MM: When I was teaching preschool, I would go to get a beer with my friends and see the parents bring their kids in after they got off. Everyone comes. There isn’t really any one group that owns the bar—it’s really eclectic. Everyone knows each other.
IS EVERYONE NEIGHBORLY? MM: Well, our neighbors are at least a mile away … usually more. People in Drip like their privacy. Essentially, they moved here and go to the bar to get away from people like you.
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Johnny Cash Down at Dripping Springs
Inspiration
Campers bikes and mobile homes cars and pickup trucks Slacks and ‘59 hairdoes sideburns spears and ducks There’s lone star pearl and fried chicken and one big cloud of smoke Plug it in and turn it on and the music goes for broke Down at Drippin’ Springs down at Drippin’ Springs There’s Willie and Waylon Kris and Tom have you heard Gatlin sing Down at Drippin’ Springs down at Drippin’ Springs Duncan’s on and Linda’s next time many did Joel Gray down at Drippin’ Springs Well the Texas sun is low and hot upon the chaparral It would be one ideal spot for God to put his hell The most beloved cowboys songs echo cross the plains T Texas Tyler ain’t forgotten next year y’all come again Down at Drippin’ Springs Down at Drippin’ Springs There’s Russell Bush and Kris and Coe have you heard Gatlin sing Down at Drippin’ Springs down at Drippin’ Springs There’s Willie and Waylon Kris and Tom have you heard Gatlin sing Down at Drippin’ Springs down at Drippin’ Springs Duncan’s on and Rita’s next how many did Joel Gray down at Drippin’ Springs
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Objective
The objective is to strengthen the sense of community and offer a little taste of what the town is made of. The goal is to remain subtle enough that the project does not infringe on the authenticity of the place. As the town grows, I am aiming to reach a hand out to those unfamiliar with Dripping Springs history and offer the chance to be a part of the secret. Dripping Springs has a strong sense of community and spirit and I want to play that up in the physical appearance of the “town watering hole.� The focus will be on utilizing the surfaces already provided by the historical building while integrating pieces of its past into some of the new objects. The final outcome is inspired by the rebellious nature of the chalk board sign documenting the number of haircuts the establishment has turned down. As a result, marrying the pieces from the past with elements of its current state in order to embrace the people in the bar’s future.
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Overview
This first rendition was inspired by the original hanging chalkboard sign. The type choice and execution is inspired by the culture of the Texas Hill Country. The copy on the following pieces incorporates personalities that each match a hairstyle and a “drink of choice�.
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After
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Overview
Each type rendition is appropriated into a hanging sign that sits at average height. The purpose of the sign is to, first and foremost, tie hair visuals to the bar. The second goal is for the signs to function in a fun way. People can take pictures in the hair, laugh, and share the experience.
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After
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Overview
Shown here is the current logo. The following logo extensions provide a more expansive experience, The goal is to envelope people in the history of the place subconsciously. It mixes the past and the present functions and feels.
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Extensions
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Conclusion
Overall, my design proposal meets my objective in many ways. The physical space and materials used stays true to much of the original. The designs are unobtrusive. Instead, they function to subtly give the bar an overall feeling that invites customers, new and old, to be a part of its history and its future. The expansive audience is reached through, at the very least, one of the applications. Those who cannot drink and come to the Barber Shop with parents or family, are able the play in the hanging signs. Those who enjoy a beer can connect with the personalities applied to each taste. The design inspires conversation and invites new customers into the world of what was the only place to get a haircut in Dripping Springs. By expanding the amount of people that the history reaches, the community will be strengthened and expand with the new knowledge. Also, it is important to remember that one of the objectives was to embrace the nature of the bar and make sure that history did not make the bar “boring”. Instead, the history gives the foundation for fun. The designs are fun-loving and energetic—while still providing information to peak conversation and interest.
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