From left, Marco Bailey cuts Manvir Singh's hair, Matthew White cuts Ahmed Aljiad's hair and Kwami Lambert cuts Bart Janusz's hair at United Kutz in London, Ont. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press) Kwami Lambert ran his first barber shop out of the boys’ change room at Banting secondary school. Classmates and even custodians flocked to the makeshift operation, shelling out $10 for a cut, Lambert said. Today, the 37-year-old runs one of the London’s busiest barber shops, United Kutz on King Street, where a steady stream of customers watch sports, play video games and shoot the breeze while waiting for their turn in one of Lambert’s seven chairs. “I wanted to build something where guys could feel comfortable coming in,” Lambert said while cutting a customer’s hair. “You can come to this place and feel like one of the guys.“ It’s that feeling of camaraderie, combined with a desire for the freshest hairstyles in social media-obsessed world, that’s fuelling the resurgence of the barber shop, say industry insiders.

But this isn’t your father’s barber shop. Don’t expect a middle-aged man sporting white coat to trim your locks. Instead, these modern businesses are staffed by twenty-somethings who wield buzzers, scissors, straight razors and smartphones to give customers the latest hairstyles sported by celebrities and professional athletes. Connor MacLeod, 23, said getting a haircut used to feel like a chore until he discovered Marcello’s Barber Shop.lift chair for sale ottawa “You see the boys,” he said while a straight razor went over his neck. pvc lounge chair target“You don’t have to worry about anything.”herman miller chair office depot Owner Marcello Perzia, 30, is adding a fourth chair to keep up with demand at his Central Avenue shop. vintage eames fiberglass chair for sale

Business has picked up dramatically since the second-generation barber launched his business three years ago. “I thought I was going to learn how to play guitar, but now it’s just collecting dust,” Perzia said, gesturing at the instrument in the corner. Perzia, who picked up the trade hanging around his father’s shop, said he opened downtown because of its “community feel.”hairdressing chair to rent london Marcello Perzia trims the beard of regular customer Connor MacLeod at Marcello's Men's Hairstyling and Barber Shop in London, Ont. on Thursday November 17, 2016. cracker barrel high chairs for sale(DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press) It’s that sense of community — and the wicked fades — that keep customers coming back to the Five-Star Barber Shop on Stanley Street.

Owners Roberto Molina, 29, Shane Bradshawe, 25, and Daniel Lopez, 25, worked at United Kutz before staking their own claim in the growing market. “It’s been growing gradually every week, every month,” Molina said of the business that recently opened a second location in Sarnia. Calling themselves 21st-century barbers, staff at Five-Star pride themselves on their fades, a style of short hair on the back and sides that gradually transitions longer on the top. “When you first look at a fade, you know that was not done at a salon, that was done at an urban barber shop,” Molina said. “It takes years to perfect the fade.” The barber shop owners credit London’s post-secondary student population for driving demand, but say their services have spread to all demographics, including children and even women who sport short hair. Five-Star Barber Shop owners Daniel Lopez, left, Shane Bradshaw, middle, and Roberto Molina stand outside their Stanley Street business.

(DALE CARRUTHERS, The London Free Press) Lambert, who wants to use barbering as a job-creation tool, said he dreams of opening a vocational school in the back of his 3,700-square-foot space to teach students the business and how to cut the hair of all ethnicities. “There’s nowhere in Canada you can go and learn (this),” he said. Debbie Renaud, the program co-ordinator for Fanshawe College’s hair stylist program, said barbering isn’t a recognized trade in Ontario, but province may soon change that. “There’s no schooling for it right now,” said Renaud. “Unfortunately, with this new wave of urban barber shops, they’re caught in a space where the trade is going to change.” That means barbers must be licenced hairstylists, a process requiring schooling and industry hours, or they can work as apprentices under a licensed stylist. Location: 84 Stanley St. (moving to 91 Wellington St.) Location: 208 Central Ave. Location: 147 King St.

Elgin Travel and Cruises Travelplus OLG Slots at Western Fair District Go to the Marketplace »See more like thisAs you approach the end of your barber school training program – or maybe long before – you’re going to find yourself thinking a lot about your compensation options as a professional barber. This generally comes down to two different models: Working as a commissioned employee – Paul McGregor, the barber who originally invented the shag hairstyle, might encourage you to work on commission. Some of his more famous clients who wore his shag cut include Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Jane Fonda, and Jennifer Aniston. Renting a chair in a barbershop and more or less being your own boss – Peter Coppola might suggest you rent a chair or booth. The son of Italian immigrants in Manhattan, he was responsible for challenging New York’s ban on cutting men’s hair in beauty salons. He would go on to found a highly successful line of hair products and open up a shop with Paul Mitchell.

Now, do you want to start working on commission, or do you want to take your chances with a chair/booth rental? If you’re confused about which model is best for you, don’t worry. This article should help to clear things up, and you can always transition from one method to the other. Renting a Chair – Chair rental, also referred to as booth rental, is when you pay a weekly or monthly fee to the owner of a barbershop. In return you get to use a chair in the barbershop to see clients, and once you’ve paid your rent then you get to keep the rest of what you make. This is more of an independent business model, where you manage and operate your own barbering business inside a preexisting establishment. For anyone in New Jersey or Pennsylvania – sorry but your state forbids booth and chair rentals. Working on Commission – Commission is where you get paid a percentage of the total amount that you earn in a barbershop. Commission agreements typically range from anywhere between a 70-30 split to a 40-60 split.

Say you earn $100 in one day. If you’re on a 70-30 split, you would keep $70 of your earnings and give $30 to the barbershop owner. If you’re doing a 40-60 split, you would keep $40 and pay the owner $60. In another example, say you make $180 in one day, and you’re on a 50-50 split with the owner. In this instance you each get $90. Some barbershops opt to pay you a bi-weekly salary/wage, plus a bonus commission. When you work on a commission basis you would be considered an employee who works for an existing barbershop rather than being self-employed as is the case when renting a chair or booth in an established shop. As a new barber you will typically start out working on a commission, and once you build up a base of steady clientele you can transition to renting a chair/booth. While this progression can be considered a traditional model, some barbers work their whole careers renting, while others work their entire career working on a commission. A lot just depends on your own personal preferences.

Some barbershop owners or managers may also require one model or another, so if you want to work in such an establishment you must adapt to their preference. This is especially true for smaller barbershops – they usually don’t rent chairs. When deciding which model is right for you, consider these pros and cons: Pros of Renting a Booth/Chair Cons of Renting a Booth/Chair Pros of Working on a Commission Cons of Working on a Commission When considering whether to work on commission or to rent a chair, you get a more complete picture if you also keep in mind the perspective of the barbershop manager or owner. These are the important factors from their perspective: Manager Advantages for a Commission Barbershop Manager Advantages for a Booth/Chair Rent Barbershop The booth/chair rental versus commission debate is one of the most popular topics on websites like BTC – Behind the Chair. Many other beauty and styling professionals also face this question and have a lot to say.