There is no way you can deny that barbers are back in vogue. For one, younger men are wanting the barber experience; two, they are popping up all over, and three; vintage is back so old school things are cool again.
The tradition of a barber shop is an experience every grown man should experience. And one person providing that experience and capitalising on the revival of the barber is George Nichas of The Melbourne Barber Shop. Situated on the corner of Lygon Street and Victoria Street, the shop caters for the young to the old.
Nichas established The Melbourne Barber Shop in 1994 and says apart from hairstyles, the resurgence of the humble barber has been the biggest change. “I think much for the better I sense there’s been a resurgence towards the barber shop type of service which is good for me. The demographic from the 1970s and 1980s was mainly only your older men going to the barber shop. Now I am finding my clientele base is as diverse as an MCG crowd, from your young to your middle age, to your execs to older guys.”
The experience of going to the barber and the personal treatment is what sets it apart from your traditional hairdressing salon. It’s not just a simple haircut, it’s grooming as well. It’s your one-stop-shop for a clean and tidy.
“We are more intricate with close work, we tend to use a razor. We mix traditional methods with some latest stuff. I look to use a cut throat razor on the neckline, some of the salons tend not to do that, I find that it’s a sharper finish and the client gets a better mileage out of the haircut.” A barber provides one-on-one service with their client that nowadays gets lost. In the fast paced world we live in, men like going to the barbers to unwind, have a chat and get their hair done. It’s the pub for the non-drinker.
“It’s a fantastic way to make a living,” says Nichas, “and my biggest sense of self-worth is when I have loyal customers coming back to me every month. When you see someone every month for years on end you form friendships and I feel very fortunate to be a in a trade where I have that as a bonus.”
But this trade wasn’t Nichas’ first choice. He wanted to be a motor mechanic but when his best buddy Ben informed him that there were 35 girls to 5 guys in hair college, he swiftly changed his mind. Mid-way through his studies he realised he had made the right choice. Nichas has since been in this industry for the past 25 years. “The biggest challenge is working out a good work life balance. I am thankful I am in a trade that I don’t find too stressful because I tend to work in a system that keeps me relaxed all day and I am thankful hat I have an understanding wife as in this industry you need to do a lot of hours to make a reasonable living. My graphic demographic tends to be executive men so I open before business hours around 7.30am and close after business hours around 6pm.”