Graig MantleWhere do men go when they want salon-style service in a manly atmosphere?
That was the question that led to the opening of Clippers Barbershop for Men on Monterey Street.
Co-owner Anna Silveira, 31, of Morro Bay, said that the goal of the business is for “guys to have a comfortable place where they can come and take care of themselves.”
To create a comfortable male atmosphere, the barbershop was designed to include flat screen televisions, diamond plate walls and Craftsman toolboxes for the stylists’ tools.
“I think for most guys, getting their haircut is a chore because you tend to have to get it done every four to six weeks, where for women, it’s a more pampering thing; and that’s why we definitely wanted to bring in the big screen TVs to just give an atmosphere so that a guy can feel comfortable,” Silveira said.
Silveira shares ownership with Heather and Brian Osgood of Morro Bay.
It was Brian Osgood who came up with the idea.
“He’s like, ‘why in the world isn’t there a place that’s kind of a salon for men – where they can come in and get what they want get the products that they want, have something to watch while they’re waiting, have interesting magazines to read.’ So he came up with this concept,” Heather Osgood said.
“I think that as the metrosexual male is becoming more prominent, men really want to present a very well-groomed self, and they want to smell good and they want no wrinkles and nice hair and nice teeth,” she said.
As of now, the barbershop offers haircuts, beard trims and colorings, but will be expanding.
“We’re actually in the process of setting up a room for waxing,” Heather Osgood said.
“We even considered doing teeth whitening,” Silveira said.
Heather Osgood said that the barbershop may even expand into skin care in the future.
“Our concept of this business is really trying to create a model that can be franchised,” she said, adding that they are in the process of finding their niche.
In the middle of getting his haircut, agribusiness major Bryan Koch said, “I love it so far, the setup’s cool.” When asked why the setup is cool, he responded, “It’s manly I guess,” adding later, “they have sports channels on and everything like that, flat screens, (and) it’s pretty comfortable.”
Koch said that he would not get a wax when the waxing room is finished. “I just don’t do that; good idea though.”
Haircuts at Clippers include a hair wash and are priced to compete with Supercuts. Clippers offers a student discount of 30 percent.
In the month of May, customers who have their hair cut on Wednesday or Sunday will receive a ticket to a San Luis Obispo Blues baseball game.
Clippers will be sponsoring the Blues baseball game on Wednesday.