Shear Genius

VICTOR MANUEL GENTLEMEN’S BARBERSHOP DELIVERS STYLE WITH CARE

BY M. DIANE MCCORMICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARLO GESNER

Joseph Bass once turned a hospital resident into a friend and client by complimenting his stylish GQ look – but telling him bluntly that his hair looked like, well, not good.

Turns out, the man was forced to go to Philadelphia for a good cut, so he gave Bass a try.

“He went to a wedding that weekend, and his mother said, ‘Whoever’s cutting your hair, you keep him,’” Bass says now.

That friend and other backers, including a Hershey surgeon, inspired the opening of Victor Manuel Gentlemen’s Barber Shop in Hershey, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year.

“A lot of people were instrumental in me doing what I’m doing,” Bass says.

From an end suite in Briarcrest Square, Victor Manuel’s Gentleman’s Barber Shop offers a place for stylish hair and beard treatments, customer experience, and a caring community.

Joseph Victor Manuel Bass IV learned to cut hair from his grandfather, a World War II veteran and a steelworker in their northwestern Pennsylvania hometown of Meadville. Bass studied biology at Syracuse University, where he would cut the hair of his friends.

He came to Harrisburg in 2006, opening a medical lab before working at area hospitals. He was also cutting hair at a barbershop. While he was recovering from a ruptured bicep, his hospital resident friend asked why he would want to return to work. The friend took Bass to Briarcrest Square and said it was the place to put his shop.

“I was blown away,” Bass says. “I said, ‘I can’t do this.’ And he said, ‘Why not?’”

At first, Bass was the only barber in the five-chair shop, working 14-hour days seven days a week because success—and paying the bills—fell on his shoulders.

“I’ve always had a vision,” he says. “My vision is a quality cut and client experience. You can’t put a price on quality.”

Today, Bass leads a team of seven barbers.

“We have a Ukrainian-Egyptian barber,” he says. “We have a Cambodian barber. We have a Puerto Rican-African American barber, and we have a white barber. We can cut all types of hair.”

One barber is autistic, accommodated with his own private space for giving clients their amazing cuts.

“Everybody loves him,” Bass says. “He is such an amazing human being. I’ve never met a more pure person. He keeps us pure. We love him. He cuts all of our hair. He’s elite, and he has the confidence now.”

Clients come from all around central Pennsylvania and beyond, including Philadelphia and Baltimore. One client from North Carolina texted a picture from Jordan—the country—where he was attending a wedding and met another Victor Manuel client.

“It shows me the impact we have,” Bass says. “I want people to look good and feel good. I love taking a head of hair and turning it into something amazing.” Services include haircuts, color enhancements, beard trims, and pampering for the skin with facials, scrubs and masks, and hot towel shave.

“Men are starting to care more about skin,” Bass says. “We get that towel hot. We lather the face up, we lean you back, and we put that towel on your face. It’s relaxing. At the end of the day, it’s self-care.”

Manicures and pedicures could be coming soon, at the request of customers. Bass polls customers and follows trends to keep services and styles up to date. It helps having three kids, including a teenage son and daughter. When he bought a new pair of Air Max 95 shoes recently, his son gave them a thumbs-down.

“So I did an Instagram poll, and he was right,” Bass admits.

Miguel Guibas is the shop’s longest-serving barber. The experience has been “life-altering,” he says.

“It’s all positive vibes and good feels,” Guibas says. “We get everything from doctors and surgeons to pilots. They talk to us. They love us. They grow great relationships with us. They are people who care about your time and what you do, and it feels good to give them your all.”

Every day, Bass thinks about his father and grandfather, who died within one month of each other and four months before the birth of his first child, now a 17-year-old football player being recruited by Division I schools.

“It was like the rebirth of both of them through him,” Bass says. “I pray. I talk to them still. I can only hope they’re proud of me.”

Bass is a believer in local business. The team goes out together after work, dining at Hershey restaurants. He loves the atmosphere, sounds, and smells of Hershey, and he admires Milton Hershey for the caring community he built.

“I admire him to the point where I want to leave my mark on Hershey,” Bass says. “That’s the path I’m trying to take. I feel like I’m put here to leave something greater. I don’t know what it is, but I have a purpose.”

Victor Manuel Gentlemen’s Barbershop

1 Briarcrest Sq, Hershey, PA 17033 717-903-0131

Vmgbarbershop.com

@victormanuelbarbershop