Pompadour. The first old school barbershop in Switzerland.

BY REX A.C. SILVER

Daniel Heiniger wanted us to meet his barber and what a pleasure it was, this shop has its own private speakeasy bar that looks like something out of the Chicago prohibition era. Secret and discrete.

The shop itself has a dedication to traditional barbering with today’s techniques and a heavy emphasis on customer service. Absolutely beautiful hosts, here is the story of owners Emina Koepplin & Guenaël Koepplin.

EMINA’S BARBER JOURNEY

Born in Belgrade Yugoslavia with the big dream of inspiring the world with her fashion creations, Emina studied business administration alongside the local electronic music scene. As it turned out, this wasn’t the optimal choice in the midst of hyperinflation. Emina opened the newspaper for job advertisements and quickly noticed that there was an enormous demand for hairdressers.

Against her father’s advice, she began training as a hairdresser at a well-known hairdressing school the very next day. Tired of dyeing, perms and the constant gossip from customers, she decided to become a barber. In a short skirt and a lot of confidence, she stepped into a classic barbershop, fibbed about her shaving skills and was immediately hired.

When Emina showed up the next day with long cargo pants and was supposed to shave the first customer with a trembling hand, the situation was immediately clear to her future mentor. A brief exchange of looks and general laughter broke out, signalling the beginning of a long journey where she had to flee her home country, leave her shop and start life over as a refugee in Switzerland.

25 years and several detours later that would fill an entire book, her enthusiasm for the classic barber’s craft manifested itself in an Old school Barbershop in the historic Matte district in Bern, where she put down roots with her Swiss husband and their three teenagers.

Emina, Can you tell us about the shop?

It all started in a small mountain village in 2011. At that time, we had taken over a former dental practice as an apartment and asked ourselves what we should do with the spare room equipped with a washbasin and an entrance to the main street.

Without hesitation, Guen my husband said, why don’t you open your own barbershop? I’ve always dreamed of a real classic barbershop, where men find a sanctuary to be themselves and the air is soaked with smells of aftershave and pomades,- a place that’s always there for you, a second home that stands the test of time.

I was frightened at first, since there were already 7 established local hairdressers, nobody was waiting for an “out of towner’’ to open up a business here and the traditional Barbershop was for many a long extinct relict. The first couple of months were quite a lean period.

But I never compromised in quality or the vision. I was all the more amazed at the success that soon became apparent and the locals were led to wild speculations about the many out-of-state cars in front of the shop. By word of mouth, news spread not only around the region but throughout the valleys into the cities.

By chance we found the current barbershop in the old town of Bern during a walk along the river, it was exactly what I always dreamed of. Located where barbers practiced their craft more than 500 years ago there was plenty of space to grow and meet the great demand. With a lot of passion and sweat, we sanded down, got vintage furniture and chairs, and created the place that is Pompadour today - the first old-school barbershop in Switzerland.

For me, being a barber isn’t just about cutting hair and applying shaving foam, it’s the whole package. From the moment someone walks in the door until they leave the shop. We always ask ourselves what would we expect as a guest. We want everyone to feel like they’re visiting an old friend because that’s what a barber is.

A hairdresser, a friend, a psychologist merged into one. Your customers usually stay with you for a lifetime and then their sons. We have over 90% regular customers because the customer feels like he is coming home with every visit. An important part of our philosophy is the constant striving for unattainable perfection and we constantly ask ourselves what we can do better, how to cut more precisely, style more refined.

The name Pompadour stands for the hairstyle we love as well as Mdm de Pompadour - a woman who de facto ruled the French kingdom in a time when her origins and gender did not favour this at all. A little bit like being a woman in the OId School Barbering world.

Digging a bit deeper, what success have you enjoyed so far?

For us success is when a new customer walks into our shop because he has seen one of our haircuts walking in the streets. Or a hairdresser sends their spouse to us. Many customers travel from all parts of Switzerland and neighbouring countries to take advantage of our service.

We have often been surprised when someone has arrived from Istanbul, Amsterdam, Vienna or Moscow based on a recommendation they’ve got from their barber back home. This is the greatest reward for us and also an enormous pressure. We are usually fully booked several weeks in advance and have not registered for any competitions until now.

We were very fortunate to be able to work with some of the most skilled Barbers in the industry. Be it at workshops which we carry out for hairdressers in Switzerland or at guest spots at the Pompadour or abroad. The exchange and learning together is indescribable and suits us much more than a competition.

We are very selective when it comes to collaboration. We recently started testing the clippers and prototypes for Heiniger because the factory is just a stone’s throw away from us and the owner Daniel shares the same values with us.

Tell us about your team.

We are a very international team of drawn together by the love for the classics and ambition.

Every Team member needs to understand what old school classic means - what service means and be able to represent the concept and Pompadour. Close support at the beginning and a lot of communication is essential as well as ongoing training. We are a team, a family and not lone fighters, so co-determination and an open and honest culture are very important to us. What everyone should bring is passion, awareness of quality, ability to take criticism and a spark of special sauce.

Products and Tools and Inspirations?

I love old classic brands like Murrays, Sweet Georgia Brown and Layrite, Aqua di Parma, Kölnisch Wasser 4711 and Proraso that existed before old school became a subculture. We also carry newer brands like Reuzel and Capt. Fawcett. We sell only products we also apply and stand behind.

Top sellers are Oils, Pomades and Balms from Bearded Chap Australia, Hairtonics and Pomades. We stand for quality and so must our products - but the most important thing to me is that the customer is satisfied with it. Usability and durability are key.

I am inspired by other great barbers in the Industrie, the old Italian Barbershops, old films, fashion, music, classic cars and architecture from the 20-50s have a big influence as well. I love to use different machines for different techniques. Babyliss Gold for cutting over comb and baseline, Wahl Magic for fades, Heiniger for precision works, fades and clipper over comb. The scissors are from Mitzutani. For me, a tool must have the following traits: precision, handling, cutting power and a pleasant feel for the customer.

What sets you apart?

We are sharing the love for Oldschool Cuts and therefore cutting only classic hairstyles from the 20-50s like the Pompadour, Jellyroll, Executive Contour. Of course, the results are nowadays much more refined thanks to modern tools and techniques based on Vidal Sassoon. We preserve and refine classic shapes and aesthetics. We take great pride in our beard service. It includes 7 crucial steps because we cut the beard as you would cut the hair and also devote the same amount of time to it. A beard should still look nice after 2-3 months and grow out evenly. Of course, we love to do the classic hot towel shave.

We offer gratuitous local Artisan Lemonades, Beers and Coffee in all its forms, a selection of tea, Classic Cocktails and signature drinks from our speakeasy bar as well as a selection of over 40 Single Malt whiskys and an exquisite assortment of Rums and Schnapps. We love to offer a savoury club sandwich and if we remember your Birthday a piece of Sacher Cake is waiting for you.

@popadourbarberbern

Pompadour Barber Shop is situated at Schifflaube 52, 3011 Bern Switzerland