The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF MARCH AMERICAN BEAUTY ◄P.12
15-21 2018
A CUT ABOVE TRENDING Grooming is booming on the Upper East Side BY SHOSHY CIMENT
Shuttered storefronts and the decline of the mom-and-pop shop might characterize an increasing share of the business landscape on the Upper East Side. But one trade is enjoying a renaissance. Elegant Barber Shop, a men’s styling salon based in New York, recently negotiated a long-term lease in Lenox Hill, its fourth location in the city. The salon joins dozens of other barbershops and grooming salons in that neighborhood. The store’s opening, on East 61st Street, mirrors a national trend: Barbershops, specifically those for men’s grooming, are on the rise. “The uptick began 10-15 years ago in response to men (mostly baby boomers), seeking the more traditional male domain of the barbershops and skill sets of barbers of their youth instead of the unisex salons and cosmetology trained practitioners that began during the 1970s,” said Maura Scali-Sheahan, CEO of the National Association of Barber Boards of America, which maintains professional standards in the barbering industry. Scali-Sheahan said that barbering is likely one of the fastest growing professions in the personal appearance industry in the United States, as evidenced in the increase of barber schools and licensees throughout the country over the past 15 years. “More barber schools result in more graduates, more licensees entering the workforce, and in many cases an increase in shop ownership,” explained Scali-Sheahan, who added that the growth in barbershops appears to be on par with
Héctor Masner puts the finishing touches on a haircut at York Barber Shop. An An old-school aesthetic prevails at the Lexington Avenue shop. Photo: Shoshy Ciment the growth of licensed barbers in the U.S. But what is it about going to a barbershop that resonates with a populace increasingly obsessed with convenience and instant gratification? “Experience is the core of where retail is heading,” said Faith Hope Consolo, a real estate broker with Douglas Elliman who often works at the nexus of fashion and retail and who negotiated Elegant Barber Shop’s latest lease. Barbershops are thriving because of the range of grooming services and treatments they offer for men and the experience that cannot be replaced by a machine. Many barbershops on the Upper East Side have capitalized on this idea. York Barber Shop, a traditional barbershop in Lenox Hill that maintains the decor and atmosphere from its initial establishment in
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Members of the youth group Coalition Z, founded by three Dalton School students, are helping coordinate student efforts to push for gun control. Photo: Bryson Wiese
YOUTH ACTIVISTS TAKE ON GUN CONTROL ADVOCACY Student network with Dalton roots plans action in wake of Parkland shooting BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
As New York City students prepare to participate in nationwide school walkouts in response to last month’s Parkland, Fla. school shooting, Coalition Z, a youth network founded by three high school students at the Dalton School, is seeking to leverage the energy of the moment into policy action on gun control.
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The nationwide school walkouts planned for March 14 will mark one month since a gunman killed 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and will last 17 minutes to honor each of the victims. New York City public schools will not penalize students who participate in the walkouts with parental permission, Chancellor Carmen Fariña announced last week. Following the walkouts, Coalition Z plans to host an “Evening of Action” at the 15th Street Quaker Meetinghouse to organize student efforts to lobby elected officials on gun control legislation, urge gun retailers to stop selling military-style rifles and take other
steps to perpetuate the youth-led gun reform movement. The event grew out of a desire to tie the ideals of the demonstration to activism aimed at promoting tangible policy changes, Coalition Z cofounder Bryson Wiese, a 17-year-old
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, March 16 – 6:46 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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