PRINTCutting it old school
Get the buzz on the barbershops that keep men’s hair simple and stylish
Lyndsey Nielsen
When it comes to cutting hair, barbers in Columbia stick with tradition.
February 11, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Editor's note: Hair Unlimited was not included in the original print version of this article, but it has been added online.
The ball-topped red, white and blue spinning pole; the smell from comb-filled jars of blue antiseptic mystery fluid; a whiff of chemicals from those old clippers; and a bunch of old geezers griping about sports or these damn kids today — behold the classic view of the barbershop. Barbershops have always been a bastion of maleness where men talk about men stuff. But these days, with the inclusion of male-friendly salons such as Varsity Clips in downtown Columbia and a more delicate approach to men’s styling, the old-school barbershop is often viewed as a thing of the past, like the Jheri curl. Still, there are places in town where barbers adeptly wield razors within an inch of the jugular vein and where whatever David Beckham has done with his hair is not what’s driving the styles. In order to better understand these chop shops, Vox did the research on the city’s classic cutting options.
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Seth Reynolds of Buzz Barber Shop finishes working on customer Ray Warren. Buzz Barber Shop stays open later than most barber shops and offers alcohol to its customers.
Buzz Barber Shop
Address: 9 N. Eighth St.
Phone: 449-6677
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Haircut: $12
Other services: $5 beard trim, $6 hair wash
Products: $1 domestic beer and $2 premium beer with a haircut
Payment: Cash or check
Years in Operation: 8
The thing that sets Buzz Barber Shop apart from others in Columbia is something that unites a good portion of people: beer. Seth Reynolds, owner and barber of the little man cave (even a life-size statue of Yoda there is), came up with the idea of selling suds to retain customers when there’s a wait. Reynolds, who also owns Eye Candy novelties, a smoking-accessories shop downtown, says that this doesn’t necessarily attract only a younger clientele. “I cut all ages,” he says. “Old people like to drink beer, too.” Buzz can almost be treated as more of a happy hour barbershop: Most of the beer is purchased in the evening. Nestle down in a chair while your locks get chopped, and throw back a few Red Stripes or PBRs.
Wayne Selby and Travis Nichols relax during a quiet afternoon at Campus Barber & Styling Shop. Selby says they get most of their business early in the morning.
Campus Barber & Styling Shop
Address: 1205 University Ave., Suite 100
Phone: 443-7057
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Haircut: $13
Other services: $13 straight razor shave, free beard trim with cut, $13 for just a beard trim
Products: None
Payment: Cash or check
Years in operation: 51
Wayne Selby, clip artist and owner of the shop, is as old-school as they come; he runs one of the few shops in Columbia that will put a razor to skin and has more than half a century of barbering experience. His shop was originally located in the old Campus Town area across from MU’s Jesse Hall, where the Carnahan Quadrangle is now. In 1980 the shop moved to a little basement nook in the bottom of University Place Apartments, complete with a big TV. And don’t let the word “styling” in the name fool you. “We aren’t one of those foo-foo shops,” Selby says. “We do men’s haircuts.”
Forum Barber Shop displays a traditional barber pole outside of its Forum Boulevard storefront.
Forum Barber Shop
Address: 1400 Forum Blvd.
Phone: 446-4844
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 7 to 10:30 a.m.
Haircut: $14
Other services: $5 beard trim, $5 hair wash
Products: Crew brand men’s styling products
Payment: Cash or check
Years in
operation: 42
A little green-wallpapered, linoleum-tiled space in the Forum Shopping Center has been the home of this barbershop since the Johnson administration. But for Tom Lammers and Don Floyd, owners and barbers, each day spent snipping is another way to connect with people. Lammers says his cuts have even spanned generations: “I have some customers that I gave their first haircuts to, and now I’m giving their kids their first haircuts.”
Hair Unlimited
Address: 1729 W. Broadway
Phone: 445-5614
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Haircut: $14
Other Services: $19 for a haircut and shampoo, $5 beard trim, $45 hair coloring
Payment: Cash or Check
Years in operation: 34
The shop, like most others in Columbia, is a simple affair: four chairs, a TV and talk of fishing. When asked what sets his shop apart from others in town, owner and barber Rob Eichelberger has a four-syllable response: “Experience.” While that might not seem like much of an answer, consider that the barbers at Hair Unlimited share a combined 143 years of hair-cutting know-how. To put that into perspective, 143 years ago Nebraska was granted statehood. That considerable cutting experience is even trusted by Coach Gary Pinkel for when the hair starts to come too far below the visor.
Barber Rich Phillips says of his shop, “It is the family atmosphere that really brings people in.” Heads Up offers a pool table, free wireless Internet and a children’s play area.
Heads Up Barber Shop
Address: 24 Business Loop 70 East
Phone: 442-2868
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Haircut: $10
Other services: $15 straight razor shave (only done at 7 a.m. by appointment)
Products: Crew brand men’s styling products
Payment: Cash or check
Years in operation: 5
Heads Up is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the barber scene; the shop employs a stylist to take on the hairstyles that a barber might not be able to tackle. This goes along nicely with the vibe that owner Rick Phillips is trying to create. “It’s all about the family,” he says. He doesn’t seem to be too far off the mark, either. Phillips’ shop boasts a kids’ play corner — complete with a miniature golf course, checkers and shuffleboard — and an 8-foot pool table for a quick game if there is a wait. With a stylist on duty, the whole family can get cuts.
The barbers at JT’s Cutz are responsible for the hair of the Mizzou men’s basketball team.
JT’s Cutz
Address: 601 Business Loop 70, Suite 213B
Phone: 814-2707
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Haircut: $12 for adults, $10 for kids
Other services: $5 beard lining, $7 beard lining and trim, $7 eyebrow arch, $5 straight razor shave
Products: None
Payment: Cash only
Years in operation: 3
JT’s is the new kid on the block. Facing Business Loop 70 in the Parkade Center, it’s a large shop with high ceilings and three chairs. Pictures of African-American icons such as Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. line the walls, and a flat-screen TV is dialed to Comedy Central. JT’s is one of the few shops in Columbia that caters to a primarily African-American clientele. The Mizzou men’s basketball team members get their hair cut here. “The coach and all,” says Maurice Strickland, a barber at the shop. No word yet on whether the decreased wind resistance of a shorter cut quickens the fastest 40 minutes in basketball.
Bill Brooks, far right, works on Jeremy Mosley while barber Tom Knotts, second from the left, visits with loyal customer Theodore Baker. Knotts has owned the shop for two years and has been a barber for 13 years.
Route B Barber Shop
Address: 1806 Paris Road
Phone: 449-1600
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Haircut: $10
Other services: $3 beard trim
Products: None
Route B Barber Shop is the kind of place you go if you want to get your hair cut while trading hunting stories or discussing the finer facets of Busch beer. Barber at Route B for 11 years, Tom Knotts is not afraid to demonstrate the proper way to draw back a hunting bow while cutting your hair. “I’m just the janitor,” jokes Knotts. “I pay the rent, and I clean the floors. It’s hard to tell guys that have been working at this shop for years what to do
Brad Fraizer leaves Tiger Barber Shop after a quick cut. Tiger Barber Shop has remained relatively unchanged since 1929.
Tiger Barber Shop
Address: 118 S. Ninth St.
Phone: 449-5951
Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Haircut: $13
Other services: $6 shampoo, $4 beard trim
Products: None
Payment: Cash
Years in operation: 81
The Tiger Barber Shop on Ninth Street, nestled between The Blue Fugue and an alleyway, is as much of a District institution as Booche’s or Harpo’s. Since it opened in 1929, not much has changed: It’s just four chairs and four barbers ready to cut some hair and gab about politics, fishing or whatever else you feel like. After being in one spot for so long, they know what works and what doesn’t. “Salons aren’t any good with clippers,” says Damon Robinson, a barber who has been with the shop for 10 years. “Styling, coloring hair — we don’t do that. We will give you a typical men’s haircut.”
