6 minute read
Finding Undeniable Coolness and Community at Local Barbershops
The Beardsmith in Garden City won Best of Boise 4 years running and is raising beards and straight razor haircuts to high art. Get a tattoo or have a beer while you wait for a trim. PHOTO BY KAREN DAY
BY TIM ATWELL
There’s no shortage of barbers in the Boise metro area, but once you start calling around, you might find that if you want to schedule an appointment with one of the best barbers, you’ll need to make a reservation far in advance. The top barbers are in hot demand, and the next open appointment might be weeks away.
The Chop Shop distinguishes itself with hub caps, Cadillac car parts and the sharpest cuts in Meridian. It’s pure dudeland.
What you need to understand is that these barbers have spent many years developing relationships with their clientele. Their schedules are full of long-term clients, friends, and family members. A day in the office for these people is a day of catching up with friends, joking around, reminiscing…and oh yeah, cutting hair.
“After so long, my customers become an extended friend group, family. I mean, I see a lot of my customers on a more regular basis than my close friends and family,” said Ryan Salamon, owner of Belmont Barbershop in downtown Boise. “Guy comes in every three weeks to get his haircut, and we just keep up with each other’s lives.”
A barber is like a best friend you can trust with a straight razor. Tattoos, beard grease, Harley’s, pool and beer can make a guy forget he came in for a trim.
For newcomers, the appeal of the oldschool barbershop is easy to see. Maybe you’re waiting for your first haircut at Caleb’s Chopshop in Meridian, sitting on the bench by the door and admiring the vintage gumball machines, when another client steps inside. He’s fresh off the Harley parked outside, a slick leather jacket over his shoulders and a well-trimmed white beard on his chin, and he starts giving fist-bumps and hugs to all the other people in the shop. He sits down in one of the swivel chairs and the barber asks him, “How was the four-wheeling trip, man?”
If you’re new to the shop, you might be sitting there by the gumball machine thinking, how cool would it be to be that guy?
“You know when you go into a small town, you’re driving through rural Idaho, and there’s some freaking 80-year-old dude standing behind a chair, cutting hair?” Salamon asked. “Those are the shops where that guy’s been there since the beginning of time. There’s just this undeniable coolness about that old dude, you know? I’m trying to pay tribute to those old dudes,” he said.
Take a chance at the pool table while you wait.
Old dudes aren’t the only ones emanating that undeniable coolness, though. Next time you’re in Caldwell, follow the vibrations to Firme Cuts in Indian Creek Plaza. Poke your head inside the shop and you’ll see the vibrations are coming from the speakers— hip hop with a mix of English and Spanish lyrics, loud enough to make the sidewalk shake.
“It’s loud. There’s a lot of people talking. Sometimes, we let people connect to the music. We’ve been in situations where they have played some pretty bad music, and that would put a bad rep on us,” said Saul Padilla, owner of Firme Cuts. “But we’re genuinely, all of us, very nice people. Once you’re settled in as a client, people are going to greet you when you come in, they’re going to greet you like friends.”
At Firme Cuts, it’s all about the fade: blended lines, tapers, and even detailed hair etching designs. Mix the fades, the music, the young clientele, and you get… well, undeniable coolness.
Guy Hallam gets the hot towel treatment at The Belmont from master barber, David Johnson.
Depending on the style you’re looking for, it might be worth checking out a few different shops in the area to find a barber who can match your aesthetic. At The Beardsmith in Garden City, for example, you’ll find fewer hair etching designs than Firme Cuts, but more facial hair. Step into the shop on any given Saturday, and chances are you’ll find a lineup of beards of all shapes and sizes, each ready for a trim and a dab of beard grease. And grab a drink while you’re there—the building’s liquor license extends into the barbershop too.
It’s all about the fade at Firme Cuts in Caldwell.
We’ve made it this far into an article about barbershops, and this is the first mention of hairstyle (or beard style). There’s a reason for that.
The truth is, most people aren’t going to an old-school barbershop simply because they want shorter hair. That would be like going to see Elton John simply because you want to hear someone play the piano. It’s about the person you’re going to see, the experience, and connecting with the other people in the crowd.
The Belmont brings plenty of cool and haircuts to the historic Hannifin’s Cigar Shop that closed after 111 years in downtown Boise.
This isn’t meant to understate the importance of a great haircut, but old-school barbershops often accomplish more by taking on the role of a neighborhood melting pot. Salamon, Padilla, and many others are doing more than just cutting hair; they’re cultivating communities.
“Our style would definitely be the old school classic tradition, as opposed to the new age barber,” said Salamon. “It’s like a big club, where you just come in and you’re cracking jokes and razzing each other. That’s what barbershops have always been about.”
Between the jokes, the razzing, and the music, the old-school barbershop is a unique environment for people to meet up, hang out, and clean up their hairstyle. The coolness is undeniable, the communities are thriving, and the haircuts are fresh. You might have to schedule a few weeks in advance to get an appointment, but if you can find the right barber to match your style, it is well worth the wait.
