Houston & Co Barber Shop

By Rex AC. Silver

Renee Houston left school in grade 10 to pursue a career in hairdressing, after having given up on school and pretty much failing every subject, being told she would amount to nothing; “I had a point to prove!” says Renee!

Tell us about the early days.

After completing my apprenticeship under Jon Le Court, I fluttered in and out of different hair salons looking for a place to call home. Nothing stuck for me, nothing really held me in one spot where I really felt content in what I was doing. That’s when I stumbled into Barbering.

I walked into Kenmore Village Barbers to do a trial and never left! I’d found my vibe and in my fellow barbers found my tribe. I worked at Kenmore Village barbers for 12 years before taking the big leap and starting my own shop close to home. It was a big step to take but I had my husband by my side, its hard being a mum and business owner but my little crew know we all have a role to play in making our life’s successes.

When I first opened the doors of Houston & Co, I was a one-woman band working 6 days a week. It didn’t take long before I realised, I needed help, we have now grown to an amazing team of 6 In the 3 years since opening Houston & Co, we have faced a few un precedented events, Covid has to definitely been the biggest one, something in all our business planning we couldn’t have ever imagined would happen!

We got through Covid to then be faced with floods which again saw our doors close due to everyone being cut off, now we face the new pandemic of being short-staffed, but as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Let’s talk about the shop

Houston & Co was created in 2019, I’d had a vision as a female barber to make a shop that was welcoming for everyone, I wanted masculine but not too intimidating, I wanted kids to come in and love the shop because for me those young boys are our future men.

We have generations of men that come and a few ladies in there too! Houston & Co is a community barber shop where everyone is welcome, it doesn’t matter where or what you come from, when you’re in the chair you’re a part of Houston & Co.

The other most important key for me was to ensure my staff are also enjoying the space, we joke, and banter, we play awesome (ok sometimes questionable) music… I know that if someone walks in the doors and can see we are enjoying our jobs that they can trust in getting great service.

Since opening Houston & Co we’ve had great success in growing a great clientele from an unexpectedly big catchment, we have people driving over 50km to visit the shop. Being a local shop, we also try and re-invest into the community where we can with lots of donations supplied to local schools, community events and raffles.

Let’s talk about your team

From the first days of the shop and me working on the floor solo to having the shop fully functioning with 5 barbers to take us into the weekend. I’ve been so blessed with the barbers that have worked for me and whilst they might not have all stayed on as they have pursued other avenues, I’ve appreciated everything they have given, and I hope that they have always felt appreciated.

This year we signed off our first mature age female apprentice and we are now in the process of signing up our newest mature age female apprentice Phoenix who is passionate and extremely eager to learn the trade. I truly love and appreciate my current team; we are a diverse group, but it just works!

Let’s talk products and tools

In the shop we try to use mostly Aussie brand products. We found during Covid that it was quite hard to get our hands on some of our regular supplies, plus who doesn’t want to keep it local?? We primarily use and recommend all of the Uppercut range.

Uppercut was suggested by a barber working with us who had used the products previously and it doesn’t disappoint, Uppercut is a brand that sells itself, a quality brand that backs itself and instils trust in customers which keeps people coming back for more, an ethos we felt aligned with the Houston & Co brand.

For our beard care range, we use the EPIC Jericho range, another bloody awesome home-grown brand that has grown just as quickly as we have with amazing scents and quality ingredients, we couldn’t go past it. Tools of the trade however are much more personal with each barber choosing their own brands.

My favourite clippers though were introduced to me by Ross from Scissors and Supply Co, my Andis Master Clippers, and Foil Shavers, they are weapons, and they rock my world every time I use them, another part of my arsenal are my Zen Master Scissors again after a recommendation from Ross (thanks legend!)

What sets you apart?

What sets us apart from others is our space and our vibe, everybody is welcome at Houston & Co and nothing makes me happier than getting feedback from people say “we LOVE your shop, it’s so cool, your staff are awesome” We have guys that come and visit us, who’s friends also visit as do their dad’s brothers and granddads.

What is Barbering to you?

I love barbering for the people we meet, from so many walks of life, everybody has a story to tell, and I feel so fortunate that when people sit in the chair, they open up to us, it gives me a real appreciation for life.

We are fortunate to also be a part of people’s lives too, think special occasions like 1st Haircuts, Formals, Weddings and my least favourite… last haircuts. We watch boys grown to men, we are privy to some intimate stories where I’ve also been known to shed a tear, we get people talking… we connect… that’s what barbering is to me.

I truly love and appreciate my current team; we are a diverse group, but it just works!

@houstonandco_barbershop