Three young men try to bring back yesteryear at The Barbershop
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - The Barbershop, opened in July in a fledgling center on Foothill Boulevard and Vineyard Avenue, is a modern business with an old soul.Outside, the signature red, white and blue barbershop pole beckons. Inside are three vintage barbershop chairs and dark wood furniture. Services include haircuts, straight razor shaves, mustache trim and shoe shine.
Sounds like your grandfather's barbershop? Not really.
Most customers find out about The Barbershop through Yelp. When paying, customers' credit cards are swiped on a cell phone attachment. Vick Muro, the eldest of three barbers, is 26. The owner, Rick Hernandez, is 25, just three years out of barber school.
But sometimes, young people appreciate the manners of yesteryear more than those who lived through it.
Hernandez, who started cutting friends' hair since he was 14, was an Upland barber who decided to open his own shop to offer the vintage services that barbershops once offered.
Haircuts come with a head massage and are never given in a rush. Shaves come with a hot towel treatment and are always done with a straight razor.
"It's almost a lost art," Hernandez said. "I wanted to restore the barbershop experience back to where it used to be."
Returning customer Derek Strohl, 26, walked out of the shop this week satisfied after getting a hair cut with a high fade.
"At other places, they cut your hair - wham, bam," he said. "These guys take their time."
Strohl, a U.S. Army sergeant, said he's had a lot of hair cuts in the eight years he has been in the military. The outcome has been mixed - crooked lines, random long hairs poking out.
"Not once have I had a cut like this," Strohl said.
A cut or a shave cost $18. Friday is the busiest day and appointments are preferred.
The barbers, in a comic coincidence, are named Rick, Nick and Vick. They are meticulous; taking 30 to 45 minutes per customer. Dressed in white smocks and black slacks, they come with good manners, too.
Hobby Shop Upland California - News
Hernandez, who started cutting friends' hair since he was 14, was an Upland barber who decided to open his own shop to offer the vintage services that barbershops once offered. Haircuts come with a head massage and are never given in a rush.
