[00:00:13] Speaker A: Welcome to we are Chafee's looking upstream, a conversational podcast of community, humanness, and well being rooted in Chaffee County, Colorado. I'm Adam Williams. Today I'm talking with Ryan Heckert. He's the owner and barber of Green Street Barbershop, which actually is on Main street in Buena Vista. We talk about where the name Green street comes from. It's a cool story with personal meaning for Ryan. We talk about some barbering history, including the impact of the Beatles on men's hairstyles in the sixties and ultimately the fading out of so many barbershops across the country.
In more recent years, there's been a resurgence of barbershops nationwide. It's brought an updated and more contemporary aesthetic to the barbers themselves, with their tattoos and personal styles and pride and craft, and to the bag of tricks they use in the hairstyles that walk.
[00:01:01] Speaker B: Out of their shops.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: Ryan keeps Green street connected to the.
[00:01:05] Speaker B: Roots of the trade, too.
[00:01:06] Speaker A: We talk about the century old barber chairs he uses and the fact that he has set up shop in cockeyed Liz's old brothel. We bond over our personal roots, too. Both of us grew up in neighboring states, in the midwest. We talk about some shared experiences in that. And with that in mind, let me ask you an honest question. If we pulled out a blank map of the United States, could you point to Iowa? Thats where Ryan grew up. And this question, which might sound strange to some of you, but I get it. Being from flyoverland myself, could you name any big celebrities that come from Iowa? Ryan gets into the pride and connection about that and his forever Iowa.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Love.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: The Looking Upstream podcast is supported by Chaffee County Public Health and the chaffee Housing Authority. Show notes with photos, links and a transcript of the conversation are
[email protected]. dot.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: You can see more photos and connect.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: With the podcast at Wearechaffeypod on Instagram.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: You are Ryan the barber in our household. I mean, that's how we talk about you with our kids or whatever. You want a haircut? Do I need to make an appointment with Ryan the barber?
This morning I told my younger son that I was gonna be talking with you today for the podcast. I'm like, do you have any questions for Ryan? And unfortunately, my timing was bad. He was already running late for school, and he had to, had to jump out. But yeah. So, Ryan the barber, you've got a new shop.
[00:02:37] Speaker C: I do, yep. Right here on Main street in Bv.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: So it's on Main street obviously, it's called Main Street Barber, right? Green street barber shop.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: See it?
[00:02:46] Speaker B: I know, I know. So this is what I want to talk about. Why is it called Green Street Barber shop when it's smack dab in a awesome location on Main street?
[00:02:55] Speaker C: On Main street in BB? Yeah. It's because I just wanted to confuse everybody as much as I possibly can now.
Ever since I became a barber, my grandmother had told me the story. And since then, if I ever had a barbershop, no matter where it was at, no matter what street it was on, it was going to be Green street. And the Green street name comes from my grandmother's side, her dad, in the late 1930s, early forties, as people were coming out of the Great Depression, and they were also extremely poor as well, but so they lived on the poor side of town, and people just didn't have money for just, like, everyday things. And so my grandfather started to notice, like, oh, kids need their haircut. Like, they can't afford it. And all these. You had all these kids just kind of running around ragged in the early forties with long hair, which, like, back then, was like, a huge no no. Like, you cut your kid's hair.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: And so he just started cutting the kid's hair on his porch, and it kind of grew into this thing where he started, like, going into his basement to cut hair, and throughout the community, and he never charged a dime for it. And then, like, through the community, it was on Green street, and everybody started calling it the Green street barbershop. And then during World War Two, when the government started, like, helping out, helping with, like, stipends for people to kind of get back on their feet after a great depression, he just stopped and never really talked about it. It was just like, it was kind of done. And, like, even, like, when my grandma told me the story when I first went to barber school, she told me the story, and, like, one of her kids had never even heard it. Like, no one never really talked about it. He just kind of did this small thing for the community and then was done once people got back on their feet. But, yeah, it was called the Green street barbershop. And so as soon as. As soon as I became barber, as soon as I heard that story, I was like, when I do open my barbershop, someday it will be called Green Street Barbershop, no matter the location.
[00:04:39] Speaker B: That's really cool. So you never met him.
[00:04:42] Speaker C: There are, like, two photos in existence of me and him together, and I'm a little baby. I want to say he passed away when I was maybe a year old, maybe. So, like, not around for too long, but, yeah, I don't remember him now.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: It's a really cool story. And then, of course, all this time, I mean, you said thirties, forties. I mean, we're most of a century later.
[00:05:02] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:05:02] Speaker B: And you're in a way, carrying on legacy. Is he the reason, were those stories, was he an inspiration for you to become a barber at all or what was the reason for that?
[00:05:13] Speaker C: So, like I said, like, no one, like, that was the first time I had ever heard that story from my grandma. Was like, once I started going to barber school, once she kind of saw that this is the career path I'm taking and some grandma's brains work. It just like, oh, clicks a story and she tells you it. But, like, myself and a lot of barbers from my generation, Grant, I've only been doing it for almost ten years, but, like, it wasn't as cool back then. And all of us were kind of like, we were just sick of our old jobs. It was the fact that, like, you could work for yourself. You know, you're blue collar, you get to work with, like, with people every day, and it's kind of like this. Like, I worked with a lot of, I went to, not worked, but I went to barber school with a lot of guys who were, like, fresh out of jail. And this was kind of like their, like, last little, like, I don't want to go work for somebody because I don't want to. Because maybe I have a felony or something and I don't want that to ruin a job application. This is kind of like my last resort of being my own barber, making my own business, and, like, creating something out of something. So, yeah, I'm just kind of, like, fall into that category of just people who are just like, I was just kind of fed up with the standard work, if you would call it that. Like, just going to a job and hi, boss, clock in, clock out. Like, I hated that. And I, and I wanted to take some control back into my own life, which, honestly, now I'm thinking about Barbara and kind of set me up for how I kind of ran the rest of my life because, like, I really have, like, in the last, especially in the last couple years, like, since COVID I feel like, really been like, nope, this is my life. I'm doing what I want to do, like, period. I'm going to do what makes me happy, and that's what I'm chasing. And barbering has helped because, you know, I don't have a boss to be like, hey, I'm leaving Iowa. Which, I mean, I kind of did, but, like, there was no stopping me. I was like, I'm going to Colorado and I'm out.
[00:07:01] Speaker B: You had owned a shop before here, hadn't you?
[00:07:04] Speaker C: No, no, I just worked at a shop in Des Moines. I worked at quite a few shops, like, in my career. So fresh out of barber school, I went and I worked at a shop called the surly chap in Omaha while my wife is girlfriend back then, but wife now while she was finishing up her education at Creighton. And so, like, we were there for two years, I think. And then we came back to Des Moines for, like, a short bit, and then we moved to London, where I worked for Frank Reimer at thy barber and dream job scenario, like, he was the first one that, like, when I was in barber school, like, flipping through Instagram, just watch, just trying to put myself out there and follow all the barbers that I can possibly find. He was the first person I ever came across was like, this dude is doing the haircuts that I want to do. Like, these are, like, in my eyes, those are the coolest haircuts you can possibly get. And so when I moved to England, it was kind of like a dream scenario of, like, man, this would be cool to work for him. And I applied, like, four times and never got a call. Nothing. Nothing. And then I saw on Instagram, actually, my wife saw that on Instagram that they were hiring, and she was like, you need to apply. And I was like, I'm not getting my heart broken again at this time. It was hard for me to find a job, period, over there. Being an immigrant in a different country, it was so weird. And especially coming from a niche market, like a barber. A lot of barbers were like, you're not coming in here. Like, no, absolutely not. And so I just got my heart broken over and over and over again, like, weeks of being there. I had not found a job yet, and my wife applied for me, and it was hilarious because I got the phone call from him, and he was like, hey, this is Frank Reimer. Am I speaking to Ryan? And I was like, I thought it was my buddies. And I hung up on him, and I was, like, through some expletives, and I was like, screw you guys. This isn't funny. Like, and I just, like, hung up and then got a call, like, 2 seconds later. He goes, this is Ryan Heckert, right? And I was like, yeah. He goes, this is Frank Reimer. From thy barber. And, like, got dropped. Like. Cause, I mean, like, up until this point, I have never talked to him on social media. I had never done any of this. Just kind of followed from afar, and I ended up getting that job, and it was sick. And then we, after being there for a year, we decided that we were gonna leave London. So I left my dream job and came back to Des Moines. And that's where I worked for five years, at Franklin barber shop in Des Moines. And that was the coolest barber shop ever. It's like, if you look at my shop and look at Franklin, there's a lot of similarities, because, like, from the first time I ever walked into that place, it felt like home. Like, and this was back when I was going to barber school. Like, popping into all the different barbershops around town. The first time I walked into Franklin was like, this is sick. Like, this is where I want to work. This is the environment that I want.
[00:09:54] Speaker B: Why did you leave London when that was your dream job?
[00:09:57] Speaker C: So, hardest thing I ever had to do was, one leave this place that we completely fell in love with. And I have been chasing this big city dream my whole twenties, and I was.
Landed in London, and I hated everywhere I went. And then I finally landed in London, I was like, this place is awesome. This is so cool. Got my dream job, and ultimately we left for a few reasons. One, Kelly was wrapping up school, and because that's what took us there. She was going to get her masters. She was wrapping up school. And then we, like, so, like, renting a, like, a flat in London, you have to go through, like, you can find, like, owners who are just renting out, like, a rent, like a normal landlord. But I'd say about 90% are through, like, real estate agencies. And we got, like, not scammed because, like, they were doing the due process, but, like, basically, like, I think we had probably, like, 1300 pound wrapped up into, like, just applying for, like, a place. And we found this amazing apartment on our favorite side of town, right in front of a park. So, like, when you look out our window, you just see woods, and it's like. But we're in the middle of London, like, and we got a front and a backyard, which is unheard of. Like, it was a perfect spot. Super excited. And then we get through the final stage, like, yeah, everything looks good. And then all of a sudden, at the final stage, they didn't approve us because my wife was a student and I worked in a cash business, and they were just like, sorry, we don't do business with you guys. And it's like, well, what about all this $1,300 that we've been doing for the last month to get ready to do this? And now you're telling us now? And, like, it was to the point where Frank, who owned the barbershop, got his lawyer involved just so we could get our money back. Like, it was a huge thing, and, like, it was just, like, a defiant. It was just a huge kick in the gut, you know? And it's just like, maybe this is a sign. Like, my wife and I are always about, like, not forcing things, and I think that was just one of the things that we just tried to force, and it was. And it just, like, it just didn't work out. And, like, it was just a good lesson for us to learn. Like, hey, let's not push or rush anything. And, like, since then, we've really kind of changed our outlook on life of just, like, don't rush things. Good things will come. Just don't rush anything. Don't push anything, because then something's gonna hiccup. And coming back to Franklin, working there for five years, I kind of just got comfortable. And I'm one of those people that I don't like to be comfortable. Like, I like doing extreme sports. I like, you know, I don't like, you know, nine to five Friday through Monday or Tuesday through Saturday at the barbershop. And, you know, just going home and hanging out with the wife, even though, like, I loved it, and it was nice, but I was like, I'm not having fun doing this. And I think it was because I was. I just got too comfortable. And so, like, you know, like, moving out of our house, selling my wife's car, buying a different car, that would kind of help better suit us out here. And, like, just taking the plunge. And that was the only thing that we have ever forced. And as soon as we got out here, we just kind of, like, let things happen. And it's just worked out tenfold since being here.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: It seems like you've been successful since the moment you got here from outside me looking at, wow, we've got a book out here to get appointments with you from my sons or whatever, and you have now opened your own shop this summer that, I mean, what, you've.
[00:13:17] Speaker C: Been in town almost not even two years. In a couple weeks, it'll be two.
[00:13:20] Speaker B: Years, and you're socially so engaged. It seems like to me, I'm not really out there in such a social way. The podcast is my main connection with people.
But you seem like somebody who's having so much fun and has really become part of the community and has a.
[00:13:33] Speaker C: Lot of friends, 100%. And, like, I think so. When coming here, like, I grew up on a farm in Iowa, like, in the middle of nowhere.
I know what it means to be, like, coming from a small community, and, like, coming into a small community, like, what you have to do. And, like, that was kind of my wife's. My wife and I's playing was like, we're gonna come here, we're gonna make friends quickly, and we're just gonna, like, fully dive into, like, the community side of things because, one, it's gonna help my business, but then also, like, small communities across America will just. They are very quick to turn your back on you, like, if it's like, get in or get out type of situation. So when we got here, like, I started. I started h and k in south Maine at. On, like, October 6, and by Christmas, I was fully booked, like, which is insane coming to a small town. And, like, we've been coming out here for years, but it was like, it was one of those things where I'd come out here and be like, how does this town not have a rad barbershop, like, right on Main street? And it just blew my mind that that wasn't a thing. So when I came out here, I was just like, I knew that I. Cause I came in with the most expensive haircut in the valley, and I took dollar ten off what I was charging in Des Moines, and I knew that I kind of had to creep people in a little bit of, like, I'm not gonna charge you dollar 40 for a haircut. Come in. I think I started at 25 or 30, and it was a hard sell for a lot of people. But then once they realized that I'm nothing, you know, I'm not your grandpa's barber.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I want to talk about that because there is a difference, and I'm hoping that you can shine light for me on being able to somehow describe what that difference is. I grew up going to a barbershop with my dad, you know, been to many over the years, and it was a particular thing, and it was the cheap version, rather than going to a salon somewhere down the street. And now there's just a different culture and vibe around it, and I think there's a lot more to it. So how do you view that?
[00:15:26] Speaker C: So, especially, like, in the black community, barbers have always been a thing, and they've always been very prominent in their communities. But, like, within the last 1015 years, barbering has really kind of exploded. And, like, I grew up. I grew up going to a barbershop that it was, like, $7 for a haircut, and it seemed like you would.
[00:15:45] Speaker B: Only have option a or option b.
[00:15:46] Speaker C: Yeah, it was like, sit down. It's like, you're going to get a short haircut or a long version or a longer version of that haircut. Barbarian has really changed in the sense of, like, the way that I try to explain to people is, like, there's a science behind it now where it's not just, like, sit down. You're just gonna, like, you know, take some off the ears and, like, taper up the neckline. Like, you know, I. I take a lot of pride in my consultations when someone gets in my chair of, like, what do you want? Because, like, in my eyes, like, I want to give you exactly what you ask for. And when I came to town, I would say, every other haircut, they say, like, all right, man, what do you want to do? And they're just like, just. Just cut it. And I'm like, okay, I don't work that way. Like, you got to tell me what you want. And it was also cool to, like, come to town and, you know, have these guys sit down and just be like, I don't care. Just make me look good. And then fast forward two months later after having a couple really good haircuts. They're coming in with, like, these guys, I would never assume, like, would ever get on pinterest or, like, instagram. They're like, could my hair do this? Like, and I'm like, I love getting people excited about their hair because especially with guys, like, just, like, normal guys, that's my clientele that I really like, are just, like, blue collar, hardworking people and having them get excited about something that they never cared about. Like, it's super cool to see, like, the growth that guys do have. But, yeah, just barbering has just changed to the point where, you know, it's a sit down. You get what? You get to, like, sit down. I'm gonna give you an experience. Like, one besides just, like, an incredible haircut. And, like, our gray eye for detail. Like, the barbers have to, where, like, it just kind of boils down to, I want to give you exactly what you want. And modern barbering is kind of figuring that out of, like, even if I don't know how to do it, I know my steps, and I know how to do it because there is a science now back then where, you know, you just apprentice with a guy down the street, and then all of a sudden, two years later, you're cutting, or maybe not even two years later, you're cutting hair next to them, and it's like you're doing the same two haircuts on everybody.
[00:17:42] Speaker B: Right.
[00:17:42] Speaker C: I. And for decades, like, it's decades.
[00:17:45] Speaker B: Their entire lives are you get a flat top or you get the little bit longer version. That's a businessman's haircut or whatever.
[00:17:51] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: And that's all there is.
[00:17:53] Speaker C: And you don't really get to choose either. Like, it's kind of like, I don't know how many times, like, I would sit, like, especially growing up, because I used to go to the barber shop with my grandpa, and it would just be like, I'd never got to say, it was kind of like, sit there, shut up, let him cut your hair, and we'll get out of here.
[00:18:08] Speaker B: That's the whole point, right, is just cut your hair rather than a style or something that you feel good when you walk out the door with. Absolutely, yeah, it's just getting hair off your neck and in your ears.
[00:18:17] Speaker C: And I feel like that's just the way that men have kind of viewed their hair since, like, the sixties. I've, like, loved the Beatles, but the Beatles killed barbering. It's kind of funny, there's a huge history of how it just kind of plummeted after that, because guys started growing their hair out. Barbers didn't know what to do with long hair, so they were just kind of like, I don't know. And, you know, before then, you know, think of all the hairstyles from, like, the forties and fifties, there were so many rad men's barbershop or barber haircuts, but just, like, dwindled away because four lads from England decided to grow their hair out, and everybody decided to. And it's, it's funny, just like, you can, you can see the closing of barber shops in America, post Beatles in America. And it's crazy. It's, and it's just because, like, people start growing their hair out and, like, because their style of learning was just like, I only know how to do two or three haircuts. It's shifted now, you know, where, like.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: There has been this resurgence, it seems like, where not only are there probably more barbershops, but they're cool. They're cool to go to, they're cool to have a cut from. I don't know anything about the numbers. Any chance you're saying that it fell off at a certain point. Do you know, are there just a lot more of them?
[00:19:26] Speaker C: I don't have the stats, but it was a steep decline. And then in the seventies, you had the rock and roll era where I kids were still growing their hair. Granted, you still had the guys who were working, you know, nine to five at the office coming in and getting haircuts. But, like, the cool haircut haircuts of those decades weren't in a barbershop. You had to go to. You had to go to somebody who knew how to cut long hair and how to style long hair. And then in the eighties, during the AIDS epidemic, a lot of barber shops also closed just because, during. Because of blood, like, with razors, and it just kind of scared people, and they were just like. And at that point, there wasn't a lot of new barbers coming up. So it's kind of like a good way to kind of, like, wipe your hands clean, just, like, walk away. And in the nineties, that's when a lot of guys started going to salons to get their short haircut. And then. Cause, like, that's kind of like, where I kind of, like, if my mom had time, she would take me with her to go get her haircut. And, like, while I was there, like, hey, can you trim him up, too? It was kind of that situation, and then.
But, yeah, I like that. You know, nowadays, there's, like, if someone leaves, like, I love that. Like, I know so many cool barber shops around America that's like, oh, I'm going to Portland. I'm like, oh, cool, while you're in Portland, check out this barber shop. Or, oh, I'm going to Chicago is, oh, you got to go here. Like, it's. There's so many cool barbershops in America. Like, now that it's just like, I can point you in any direction in the country and be like, stop here, stop here, stop here. Like, this is what you're. They're great barbers in here. They're going to get what you want, which was just never been a thing, you know? But the sad thing is, is that, like, you know, all those historical barbershops are just, like, gone, you know? And I love old barbering. Like, just, like, old shops are, like, the coolest thing ever. Like, I. I was joking around some of my clients. Like, I can't wait for my shop to be an old shop. Like, just because the history of it, like, it's, you know, like, thousands and thousands and thousands of people have come in, and it's just like, this is where they go every week or every month to get their hair cut for their entire lives. And there is a barber out in California. I wish I could remember his name, but I. He decided that he was gonna travel around. He's a photographer, and he was like, I'm gonna travel around and go to all these old barbershops and document them before they're gone. So, like, he would interview the barbers. He would take, like, a really cool wide lens shot of, like, the shop. So, like, you could see everything in one photo, and it's. There's so many cool, like, old barbershops. It's just, like, sadly, one day we'll just be gone. That's a sad thing.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: You obviously have a lot of energy for this. Like, it feels like there's passion for it. You love what you do.
[00:22:01] Speaker C: It was one of those things where, like, coming in barbering, I really wasn't, like. I mean, I had my hobbies, and I was into things, but, like, I also think that helps. Like, I came out of the blue. I never cut hair before going to barber school, and I just kind of was like, I'm just gonna try this. And then finding out that I was good at it and then that, I think, was what, like, really pushed me of being, like, I want to learn everything. Like, I kind of deep dive on things whenever you get really into stuff, and so, like, I wanted to learn everything that I possibly could.
[00:22:30] Speaker B: Had you ever been good at anything before? Had anybody ever told you, man, you're really good at pissing off?
[00:22:36] Speaker C: Yeah, my mom was like, you're really good at pissing me off. And not. Not really. I was never, like, a, like, a standout kid, you know, in high school, I was always, like, just like, my mom was my drama coach in high school, and she was also my english teacher. But, like, drama in high school was kind of that first thing where I was, like. Like, it clicked, especially, like, improvisation, and, like, I kind of got to use my goofy self to, like, be good at something and, like, you know, say outrageous things that have my mom laugh for the first time. And, like, she's like, you're pretty good at this. Like, but I think.
[00:23:10] Speaker B: Was that in performing, you're saying, versus, like, being in the kitchen and.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And, like, you know, just make. Pushing her buttons, you know, like, trying to be funny. Yeah. But other than that, like, I. I kind of came into this, and then I. I'll never forget the day in barber school. Like, I just had. I was having the hardest time figuring out how to taper properly. Like, taper the back of the neckline. And it wasn't until this guy that went school with.
What was his name? Deshawn, he came up, and he was like. Because, you know, like, sometimes you just, like, you need to be told how to do something differently for it to, like, click. And he just did it. And I was like, and I'll never forget that client leaving. And, like, everybody at school, like, all the guys that had been there for a while, like, he killed that haircut. And I was like. And it just kind of clicked, and I was like, okay, I love this now because, like, I'm good at it. It's fun. Like, I still get that way about haircut sometimes. Yeah, granted. Do I go to work sometimes? And it's. It's 09:00 in the morning. I'm just like, let's just get through the day. Like, I don't care, but, like, the simplest of haircut come in. I'm like, this is gonna be cool. Like, I'm excited because, like, one, they. Especially with new clients, because, like, they've never had. They've. They're kind of putting me on the line here of, like, I'm gonna figure them out. And I love going into a head that I don't know and, like, pulling off a really good haircut and then just turning them around and hearing like, this is the best haircut I've ever had. And it's like, heck yeah, dude. That's awesome.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: You're sort of a professional conversationalist, aren't you?
[00:24:33] Speaker C: Yeah. Which is weird, because I'm like. And it shocks people, but I'm a total introvert.
[00:24:37] Speaker B: I was gonna get to that, too, maybe because you brought that up on one of the more recent visits I was in. You were cutting one of my son's hairs, and. And I'm like, I can't believe every time we go in there, we're taught you and I are talking the whole time it's like this, and I'm like, I was just trying to keep up with you. I was trying to talk because I'm totally quiet. I'm willing to sit and say nothing, but because you and I talked the whole time, I was trying to keep up with you being a conversationalist because I didn't want to let you down.
[00:25:04] Speaker C: It's like, I don't want to let my barber down.
It's kind of funny because in my early twenties, I was very. I was very extroverted. Like, you know, I want to do everything. I was always going out. I was always going, like, hanging out with friends and, like, I don't know, maybe it's just like the married life. Like, you get married and you marry your best friend, you're just like, I just want to hang at home. Like, and then also, you know, becoming a barber in the last ten years has been like, you talk so much at work that, like, when you get home or, like, when you get done working, it's like, I don't really want to talk to anyone.
[00:25:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:25:36] Speaker C: Like, the first couple years, pretty much the first year of me being in my career, not going to school, I would come home, and my wife would be like, hey, how was work today? I'm like, please don't ask me that. Like, give me, like, 2 hours. Like, because, you know, every 30 minutes, I'm like, how's your day going? It's like, it's going great. And so, like, when I get home or, like, when I'm in, like, a social event, because I still am social, but, like, I'm usually the quiet guy. Like, I don't.
[00:26:01] Speaker B: That's hard for me to imagine. It's because our only interactions are not unlike this. It's talking all the time.
[00:26:06] Speaker C: Right.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: But, you know, I want to. I want to advocate for introverts a little bit here, and you can. I want you to put in whatever your thoughts are, too. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding about what introverts are like. We're just total wallflowers. We're afraid to speak, afraid to socialize. And I don't think that's, that's what it is at all.
[00:26:21] Speaker C: I just think, like, we know what makes us comfortable, and that's not necessarily, like, being the middle of the scene or like, yeah, you know, having to be the loudest guy in the room.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: Or I've heard somebody describe it as introverts collect their energy in quiet while extroverts get their energy from other people and those interactions.
[00:26:41] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:26:41] Speaker B: And we're often the ones sitting in the corner thinking it through. Like, if. I mean, neither of us likes that nine to five sort of boring meetings kind of deal, but I'm usually quiet in those because I'm thinking through possibilities in response to what nobody's even going to ask me to speak on, because whoever talks way more is commanding the room, right? They're sucking up all the oxygen than an introvert. Otherwise it would be like, hey, I can contribute this.
[00:27:07] Speaker C: And I don't know, especially when I haven't been an introvert my whole life, because growing up in the middle of nowhere, whenever I would be in a social event, I would take full advantage of it. Like, oh, I'm going to talk people's ear off. I'm going to get to meet a bunch of people anymore. I'm just like, we spend our day talking all day.
When an opportunity does arise where I'm just like, I can just sit here and be quiet, I'm going to like, it's. And also just like, you know, you think part of getting older is realizing that you don't always have to be talking. You know, just like, sit back and enjoy it and just observe people. Like, and I think that's, like, one of the beauty, beautiful things about barbering as well is like, I get to kind of be an extrovert, but I just observe people all day, and I can get a really good read on people pretty quickly and annoys my wife sometimes because, like, I'll read somebody and I'm like, eh, don't know how I feel about them. And then she's like, oh, really? Like, I thought they were kind of cool. And I'm like, oh, that's okay. And then, like, a couple months later, you know, it comes out. Told you.
[00:28:06] Speaker B: Not everybody has the same level of perceptivity.
[00:28:09] Speaker C: Absolutely. And I think the power of being silent is huge. And I can be loud.
[00:28:14] Speaker B: You know, we spend our time learning, right? If we're listening, we're observing all the body language that everything. We're not just jumping in and kind of skipping past it because we're were doing all this talking.
[00:28:25] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely.
[00:28:26] Speaker B: Barber shops have been kind of a gathering place, like the old school ones, at least you would go on a walk in basis. There were no appointments. So maybe there's one person in front of you, maybe there are six, and everybody would just kind of, on a Saturday morning, hang out, wait your turn. You're hearing all the conversation going on. Maybe you're participating and you're meeting people.
[00:28:47] Speaker C: You're meeting people in the community that you may not have met before.
[00:28:49] Speaker B: You know, it seems like that has maybe changed, though, with this new kind of contemporary style of barbering and maybe since COVID because of appointments being necessary.
[00:28:59] Speaker C: For me, it was Covid. So, like, the shop that I worked at, it was the second or third oldest barber shop in Iowa, and it's been around since, like, 1940 or 52, maybe 1952. And since day one, it was a walk in shop. And, you know, for the three years that I worked there prior to Covid, we were walking. It's like we would open on a Saturday. We knew how many heads of heads we could cut in from a nine to three timeframe.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: How many?
[00:29:24] Speaker C: Oh, gosh. Back then, it was probably like, let me do the math here.
[00:29:28] Speaker B: I mean, just a ballpark number is fine. I'm just thinking probably like, like 30.
[00:29:32] Speaker C: Like 25 to 30 with four barbers. And as you're counting them as they.
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Come in, I'm saying individually.
[00:29:40] Speaker C: Yeah, no, I mean, like. I mean, like, as a shop, we would do, like. Cause we were walking. So we're like, we know that as a shop with four guys, we can take on a 30 haircuts in this amount of time.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: Huh?
[00:29:49] Speaker C: And we count them out. Like, we'd flip our open sign. The guys would rush in because guys would wait. They would get there, like, six in the morning. We'd open at nine just to make sure that they were the first ones there, so they could get in and get out. The. The preppers, what we call them, like, they were there always early. They were the ones that would come in and like, nope, I was here first. And, like, you come to get to know those guys. Like, no, he definitely was like, I know you weren't here early before him. But, yeah, we just count them. And then, like, as soon as we count them off, we would literally flip the open sign that we just flipped, and it says closed. And those guys would sit there all day and, you know, till 03:00 that last haircut of the day would be in the room at 09:00 a.m. and we would have soda and beer in the fridge. And always something stupid on tv, which is where I kind of get it from. My shop is like, you always gotta have something. Cause it's always a conversation piece. But that is the one thing that. And then when Covid happened, when barbershops and salons were allowed to, you know, open back up, they were like, with one stipulation, you have to do appointments. No more walk ins because you can't have people waiting. And so for, like, we kind of scrambled and we were like, oh, shit. Like, we've never done this before. How do you do this? And, like, me and another barber there, we had done appointments before, but, like, not with this big of a clientele who, like, when you're a walk in shop, yeah, you kind of go and you like your favorite barber, but it's more like, I like the shop. I just want to. I'm going to go to the shop, and whoever I get, I get a. It's hard to kind of take your clientele that's been doing this forever and being like, all right, guys, pump your brakes. We have to do. You have to start booking now. And once we got all of our clients switched over, like, you know, in, like, end of 2021, I think, is when they finally lifted it, being like, all right, we can go back to, like, walk in shops. It was like, we've already taught these guys, like, and they're doing it, so, like, it would be a disservice to them to go back. And ever since then, I was just like, I'll just keep rolling with it. I mean, and you've seen my space. You know, I only have three chairs, so, like, it's not really big enough for a walk in shop, which, like, I would love, like, a walk in environment to a barbershop is my absolute favorite.
[00:31:49] Speaker B: You also have two chairs. Barber chairs, yeah. And so I've wondered about that because you're obviously just one guy. You're not cutting, you know, hair for two guys at the same time. Is that one for just symmetry, aesthetics? Or is that also. Are you gonna have, like, visiting barbers come in and have friends from across the country or London or whatever, come in and take the chair next to you for a week or whatever in town, like tattoo artists do?
[00:32:13] Speaker C: Yeah, that's kind of the plan, is to have guest spots come in and, like, just hoping that one of those guest spots would stick, you know, like. And I. The reason I built two was one. Yes. It would look really weird to have one chair shop there. It would just would look. The cemetery wouldn't be there.
[00:32:28] Speaker B: And those chairs can't be cheap.
[00:32:30] Speaker C: No, they're really. They're really expensive. They're really, really expensive.
[00:32:34] Speaker B: And yours look nice.
[00:32:35] Speaker C: They're beautiful. They're 1923 coke ins, and they are.
They're my favorite thing I own. Like, I. When I. When I opened the shop, I looked at my wife, and I was like, I don't care what we spend money on, but we're spending money on the chairs. Like, I could have a, you know, a hand mirror that I'm using as a mirror as long as I have a good chair. Because in my eyes, a barber's only good as his chair, like, truly, because, like, it kind of shows you.
It shows you the little things that aren't necessary. Like, you don't have to have a really nice, expensive chair, but, like, if you do, it means that you, like, care about your work. And a lot of the companies, like, modern barber chair companies, are making replicas of these chairs, but just not making them as well. And that's kind of the big shift of why I love vintage chairs, because, you know, they're made with cast iron instead of stainless steel.
[00:33:26] Speaker B: Like, they are now is 100 years old. You said it's 1924.
[00:33:29] Speaker C: One years old. Yeah, both of them are.
And they're my dream chair. And, like, until I took the, you know, the wrapping off it when it got delivered, I had never seen those chairs in person. Like, and they're just cool because, like, the reason I love them is because the grill where, like, your legs kind of rest, like, behind your calves, like, that part of the chair is usually just metal and with, like, maybe a piece of padding there. Well, this is the only chair that I've ever seen that has porcelain wrapped around it, and there's designs in the porcelain. And I was like, these are the coolest chairs ever. And I remember finding those, like, like I was saying when I started barber school and I found out, like, my love for it, I wanted to know everything. And so, like, I was looking up the history of chairs, and I was looking at, like, the designs and how they shift and, like, why they progressed the way they did and.
And just, like, how they were made. Like, a good barber. Like, a good barber chair nowadays is, like, max 150 pounds. Like, that's it. We're like, mine are 275 pounds apiece. Like, they're. They're just cast iron. Like, the whole thing is cast iron. And, you know, back then when things were getting made in 1920, like, they were built to last. And granted, my chairs were completely thrashed before, like, because I went through a company and had them fully refurbished from everything. From, like, they sandblasted the porcelain and re porcelain it and rechrome new vinyl. They took the old hydraulics out of the chairs, put new hydraulics in the chairs. Like, everything's brand new, but it's just a 1001 year old chair.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: We're getting into details I never knew we needed about barbering.
[00:35:01] Speaker C: Oh, I love. If you want to talk about barber chairs, I'll go deep talk about it. But it's such a niche thing that to me, it's one of those things when I walk into a barber shop that I've never been into, it's kind of the first thing that draws my eyes. What chair are they working with? Like I said, it's one of those things. Like, it really. It's a tell tale of, like, you know, what. What's important to them.
[00:35:23] Speaker B: You know, you've mentioned Des Moines a number of times. And I learned that about you the first time I ever sat in your chair. This was before the new shop. Must have been for my beard because I shaved my head.
[00:35:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:35:34] Speaker B: And you told me that Des Moines. So I grew up in northeast Missouri, so I'm right below Iowa. I went to college most of my undergrad years in Iowa. And. And you told me things about Des Moines I had no idea had changed in the many years since then. What's going on there? What is it like now when you go back home and visit family or whatever? If you do, compared to when you grew up? And you said you grew up in a small town, I assume was outside of there.
[00:35:58] Speaker C: Well, I grew up about 2 hours, like, southeast of.
[00:36:00] Speaker B: Okay, so that's not really where you grew up or anything.
[00:36:03] Speaker C: No, no, no. I went to a tiny school that was literally in a cornfield.
[00:36:07] Speaker B: Like, okay.
[00:36:08] Speaker C: Real tiny. I had 40 kids in my class.
[00:36:10] Speaker B: And, like, that's even smaller than here.
[00:36:12] Speaker C: It's super sin. Like, so it's kind of funny when I talk to kids here, and it's like, just, like, it's such a small town. It's like, you guys have 80 kids in your class. Like, that's double the class size I had.
[00:36:21] Speaker B: Like, you can get smaller, for sure.
[00:36:23] Speaker C: You can definitely get smaller. The Des Moines that I remember growing up and, like, going to, like, when we go to the big city, you know, we'd go to Des Moines and was just.
I think as a kid with ADHD, it was just everything I've ever wanted, you know? And I think that's where my fascination with the big city came from. And knowing that, like, when I became an adult, I needed to be in the city, which is just hilarious. Cause, like, I mean, I found out that I'm not a city person. I prefer low key chill. Like, I was just in Denver yesterday, but went insane. Just, like, driving in that traffic. But Des Moines now, it's like an exploding place. Like, it's.
One of the reasons we left is because it was getting too crazy. Like, there's standstill traffic for the first time in Des Moines, which is, like, unheard of. And I think it's just because kind of, like, Denver or Nashville, like, they got too big too quick and their infrastructure, like, can't keep up.
[00:37:13] Speaker B: Are we talking about 100,000 people? 300. Like, how big is this place?
[00:37:17] Speaker C: I don't know what the metro area is now, but, like, my wife's hometown is ankeny, Iowa, which is, like, just north of Des Moines. It's like the. It's the northern suburb. And, gosh, there are probably over half a million people.
[00:37:31] Speaker B: Like, it's in the whole area, just.
[00:37:34] Speaker C: In, like, that town. Like, Justin.
[00:37:35] Speaker B: Justin Ankeny.
[00:37:36] Speaker C: Like, it's huge.
[00:37:37] Speaker B: Like you said, half a million, probably.
[00:37:39] Speaker C: Like, I. Oh, wow. It wouldn't surprise me. Like, it's a massive. I mean, she, like, I want to say was her junior. Like, her high school split, and they opened up a new high school, and she still graduated with, like, 800 some kids in her class.
[00:37:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:37:52] Speaker C: Like, huge, bustling place.
[00:37:55] Speaker B: Well, and you told me, if I remember right, in that first conversation where you were enlightening me about the changes in Des Moines was that tech has gone there, like, from Silicon Valley.
[00:38:05] Speaker C: Yeah. So I guess, like, at least what I've been told, like, you know, being a barber, you get to talk to a lot of people. And was that there was some guy who was from Des Moines who worked for Microsoft, and they were kind of talking about real estate and, like, how, like, they're trying to build some new things and, like, some new data centers in the midwest. So they were looking at, like, Chicago. They're looking at Kansas City. But, like, these cities were blowing up, and he was just kind of, like, just doing his job. It was like, hey, well, Des Moines cheap. Like, you can go and buy land there. You could buy 100 acres there where you could buy an acre in California, you know? So, like, they came in and just bought, like, started building these massive data centers. And now it's getting to the point where, you know, I'm pretty sure there's multiple headquarters there for, like, Facebook has one, apple has one. It's just a weird. And so you had all these. It was kind of, like, in that, like, 2015 exodus of California, you had all these people moving to Iowa, and the biggest shift was now you have people living in Iowa who have money.
Like, granted, there's always been, like, a little bit of money, but you're from north. Like, you're from northern Missouri. You know, like, the midwest is a humble place. Like, it very much is. And, like, you had all these people, like. Like, I'm a bit of, like, I don't, I want to say a car enthusiast, but I like nice cars. And so, like, you know, I see porsches and Ferraris drive around to moi now, and it's like, where am I? This is wild.
[00:39:23] Speaker B: Go back and see cybertrucks. Now we see them here.
[00:39:25] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:26] Speaker B: If they're here, that they're probably everywhere.
[00:39:28] Speaker C: Yeah. And so, like, Des Moines just like has money now for the first time.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: And I think this still baffles me. This is why I'm asking you about it. And because. Well, I want to ask you about this now. You're a bit younger than me. Did you grow up there? And like, are we saying nineties or even more recently?
[00:39:45] Speaker C: So when, like in Des Moines. Like my life in Des Moines. Because I did live there.
[00:39:50] Speaker B: Maybe just in general. I mean, as a kid, you said you went to Des Moines, like maybe for trips or whatever.
[00:39:54] Speaker C: Yeah. So I was born. I was born in 93. So like late nineties. And then the early two thousands was really rough on Des Moines.
[00:40:00] Speaker B: Well, you would have had Internet then is what I'm getting at by putting this in time is you would have grown up with Internet and social media and all of those things that I would not have had. So for me as a kid in flyover land, a town of less than 6000 people in northern Missouri, all I had were tv shows and movies to be like, that's what's out there. Or magazines or whatever. Right? But it's like I wanted to go see. I wanted to get out and go see other things. And I wonder what your perspective was. Or if you felt like maybe less of that urge. Because with Internet where you did, you feel more connected and like. And as Des Moines changing. And then you went and lived there eventually. Well, do you not feel like you're missing out as much as I probably did as a kid?
[00:40:43] Speaker C: So, like, I one, I didn't grow up with Internet. I can remember I was probably 8th grade when we got Internet and it was dial up. You gotta remember I was living in the middle of nowhere.
[00:40:53] Speaker B: What direction of this in Iowa?
[00:40:54] Speaker C: So if like Des Moines is smack dab in the middle. And like I was directly 2 hours southeast of there and southeast.
[00:41:02] Speaker B: So you and I would not have necessarily been that far apart from.
[00:41:05] Speaker C: Not really, no. Like I was drive from Missouri, from the border. So like it was pretty close. But like, I mean, as you see my shop, like, I also am a movie fanatic. And that's what I filled my time with as a kid. Because like kind of like how you said, like that was my escapism was like watching movies or watching tv shows and like getting this fascination with the outside world, if you. If you want to call it that. And when I moved to Des Moines, like when I moved to all these different cities. Like, it fulfilled it. But there was something missing. But the cool thing about Des Moines was that it felt like a community. Like, you know, it was, oh, I live on this side of town. I live on the street. Oh, do you know this guy who lives two blocks? Oh, yeah, I know him. And it's like, you just. Everybody knows everybody in Des Moines, which was really cool. But I think that's slowly changing where, you know, it's.
Some things are for the better. Like, Des Moines has a lot of cool things. Like, Des Moines has America's largest skate park. That's super rad. Like, bam Margera was just there skating the other day, which was, like, super sick. And, like, Des Moines never, you know, it was the fly by state. Like, we're not stopping here. And, like, you know, we're slowly getting things that it's like in Des Moines. It's like, oh, I want to stop there.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: Like, when I was in my twenties, I met people from when I got out, and I started living in different places and was in the army, and so would travel a lot of places. People, Americans that could not place Missouri on a map to save their lives. They had no idea where it was.
[00:42:28] Speaker C: No, not a clue.
[00:42:29] Speaker B: So I assume it's the same for Iowa and for most of the Midwest and actually probably a lot of the country.
[00:42:34] Speaker C: Yeah. Or being. Or thinking that we're Ohio or Idaho. And it's like, no, we're in the middle. And they're like, yeah, it's Ohio, right? And it's like, no, it's Iowa.
[00:42:42] Speaker B: Like, I remember being kind of offended at that because I loved geography. I love studying maps. I love the idea of what's out there. And I want to travel to all these places. And then there was no reciprocation. Like, you have no idea where I'm from. You couldn't put me on a map.
[00:42:56] Speaker C: See?
[00:42:56] Speaker B: But, like.
[00:42:57] Speaker C: But the cool thing is, like, especially, like, Missouri and Iowa, we have the small things that we. Like, small Midwest states. They love their celebrities who are from there. Like. And we take a lot of pride in those people. Like. Like, Iowa. Like, it's funny, my wife and I were just talking about Ashton Kutcher and, like, oh, yeah. He's like, he is the biggest celebrity in Iowa. And, like, we love him. Like, you know, like, he will always have fans in Iowa because he's from Iowa. Or, like, for me, coming from the music background was like slipknot. Like, having something that, like, where'd they come from? From Des Moines. They're all good. And it was just like, it's one of those things. Kind of like how, like, really good punk music comes out of Salt Lake City. And it's because, like, such a religious repression on these people that, like, they're gonna create something cool. And in Iowa, it was just, like, nothing was happening, so you were bored at home, and then, you know, it still is. Like, it's still a very, like, faith driven politics. And, like, you know, everybody goes to church in Iowa, and everybody goes church in Missouri. And, like, when you got some kids that are just like, I don't really fit into that. And then also, like, growing up poor, which most people, like, you know, in the midwest kind of do, because there's not a lot of money there. It's just, as a kid growing up in Iowa, especially, like, not wealthy, and looking at this band, slipknot, and being like, this is the cool. This is the coolest thing ever to happen, because, like, they got. They made it. One, they made it, and, like, two, they're rad, you know? And that's, like, that huge push that I had as a kid to be like, I remember my parents were like, don't listen to slipknot. Don't listen to. Which, I mean, as a rebellious kid, made me, like, I need to figure out this.
[00:44:33] Speaker B: Yeah, of course. It's like, oh, who's this you're talking? Oh, yeah, let me go find them.
[00:44:37] Speaker C: Yeah. And they. They didn't even tell me, oh, they're from. From Iowa. But I remember, like, being like, oh, slipknot. And then going to, like, fye in the mall or whatever, and then finding a slipknot cd, and then it, like, I'll never forget I was in fye flipping through cds, and it's like, iowa. That's literally when I put the two and two together as, like, a kid. And I was like, I have to get this. Of course, my parents didn't buy it for me, but I had a really cool older cousin that, like, under the table would hand me, like, I got my heavier side of music from him. And I remember listening to that album, just being like, this is the rat one. The raddest thing I've ever heard. Because where I'm from, like, it is classic rock and country. That is it, which I love. Classic. I love classic rock. But I never heard something that, like, made other people mad that it was like, that they were hearing. Like, my mom hated it. But the cool thing about Iowa is, like, now there are people who, like, my parents, who were like, don't listen to slim not. They look at slim not. I was like, it's kind of cool because, like, in London, like, when people would be like, judging. Talking about, like, where is that place? I'm like, oh, I'm from Iowa. And they're like, Iowa? And I'm like, des Moines? And they're like, no. And I was like, you know where Chicago's at, right? And then I'm like, right there. Yeah, that's where I'm from. And they're just like, they just don't get it. But almost always, like, if they did know where Iowa. Like, oh, slipknot. Like, I know exactly where that's at.
[00:45:50] Speaker B: Really.
[00:45:50] Speaker C: It's like, it's so cool that that band means so much to people all over the world. And they're from, you know, Podunk, Des Moines. Like, especially, like, in the nineties, like, Podunk, Des Moines.
[00:46:02] Speaker B: I can't say that I really know much of anything about slipknot, so I would not have known that they were from Iowa for sure. But it's interesting that people, I guess, fans, you know, they do come to know those things.
[00:46:12] Speaker C: Yeah. Well, they. Their. Their first, like, official LP was named Iowa.
[00:46:18] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:46:19] Speaker C: Yeah. And it's just kind of like, why would. Like.
[00:46:21] Speaker B: That's how little of a fan I am then. I didn't even know for sure.
[00:46:24] Speaker C: But it was. It was kind of like one of those things wherever I. Why would you name it Iowa? But it was kind of like, you know, where Iowans are very proud that they're from? Iowa. Like, I love Iowa. Do I want to live there? No. Do I want to die there? No. But I do love it. And I think that, like, that love pushes a lot of people in Iowa. Like, none of my siblings, except for my little brother, lives there. And, like, we all live in these really rad places all over the country, but, like, we. We still love Iowa. Iowa's super cool. And it's just, you know, things move a little slower in Iowa, which I appreciate. Not in Des Moines, but you get. You drive an hour in any direction out of Des Moines, and you're in the middle of cornfield. It's like two lane highway. Chilling like, this is great.
[00:47:01] Speaker B: You want to be here a long time, have your barbershop a long time.
[00:47:04] Speaker C: I do.
You know, my wife and I, we've been coming out to, like, chaffee county for, I don't know, years. And it was kind of one of those things where, oh, we'll retire there. We'll retire there, and then finally, like, getting that push and Covid, where we were, like, we're taking control of our lives. We're gonna be where we wanna be no matter what? And, you know, like, that's kinda like, why I. We were like, well, let's go check out BV. We love visiting. We love Chaffee county. We love the Ark Valley. Let's just go live there and see what it's like. And then, like I said, in two and a half months of me being here, I was fully booked. And at that point, I was like, we're not going anywhere. We love it here. We don't want to go anywhere.
[00:47:42] Speaker B: It's so easy for a lot of us to move in and not really engage in the community in the way that you and your wife have. And you have this kind of mainstay, core piece of community, having a barber shop. And now you're on main street, right in the heart of things. Your shop is in the old brothel.
[00:48:00] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:48:00] Speaker B: Cockeyed Liz's brothel.
[00:48:02] Speaker C: Yeah. My barber shop is in Caci. Liz's room.
[00:48:05] Speaker B: I love the history. That would really amuse me. Do you see any ghosts? Hear any ghosts?
[00:48:11] Speaker C: No. So, like, before.
Before we moved in, we staged the place, and we're kind of like, if there is anything here, we're cool with you being here. Just please be cool with us being here. But, like, we. We have never experienced anything. Like, the closest thing ever is, like, my dog just, like, kind of, like, looking off into something. And granted, she's deaf anyways, but, like, getting her attention back is, like, other than that. But, like, who knows? That could just be my dog getting senile.
[00:48:36] Speaker B: So, like, do you think about, like, that? That's if the friends speak.
[00:48:40] Speaker C: Like, it's. That was, like, my chairs. The guy who I bought my chairs from is, like, a barber fanatic. And, like, he loves, like, him. And I would talk chairs for, like, an hour. Like, I would just call him to see how my chairs were doing. We would just talk barber chairs. And he thought it was really rad that I was a young barber wanting 101 year old chairs. And I was like, yeah, you think that's cool? It's going in a room that's 50 years older than the chairs. And he goes, what? And I was like, yeah. Like, you know, I kind of explained the story, and his nephew, or his son goes to Boulder, and so I think he graduates this spring, and when he comes out, he said he's gonna pop down just because he's like, I need to see the place, and I gotta see the chairs. And, like, you know, I told him that the wood that the chairs are gonna be sitting on, 100.
[00:49:23] Speaker B: Those are the original.
[00:49:24] Speaker C: The original wood flanks that I know of. Yes. Like, I think those are the original flooring. And the room on the opposite side of the shop also has the original.
[00:49:32] Speaker B: Flooring, and there's an old fireplace. Is that original?
[00:49:35] Speaker C: Yeah, it's all original in there.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: It's such a cool space.
[00:49:37] Speaker C: And, you know, the Kingmans have been awesome. The Kingmans are who own my. My building and, like, who are obviously the owners of cks, and they have been so rad doing all this. And, you know, like, the floors were the biggest thing because obviously, as a barbershop, I need to be cleaning all the time and having hardwood floors, especially hardwood floors from 1870 that have, like, some spots had, like, a quarter inch gap in the floor. It kind of became a, like a. Like a pain. I was like, I don't know what I want to do with this. But, like, the cool thing about that room is, like, I loved all the imperfections in it. And he even offered was like, hey, we should just, like, you know, maybe professionally get them removed and we can put in a different floor. And I was like, no. So I went above and beyond, and I epoxied, sealed the floor. So, like, it preserved the wood because, like, I love the history of the building, and it looks so rad. And I get to have, you know, a few nails that stick up and, like, the imperfections in the wood and, like, still be able to see what it used to look like without having to ruin it. And now I preserved them. So, like, it's. I love the floors. The floors are probably my favorite part of my barber shop. Other than my chairs.
[00:50:38] Speaker B: Other than the chairs. What is something you would have been doing if you weren't a barber? Well, let me ask this way. Obviously, you love tattoos. I'm wondering if being a tattoo artist, which is also self employed, also, like, I see those kind of. In parallel in a certain way, for sure.
[00:50:52] Speaker C: Oh, absolutely. And I think that's why, you know, most modern barbers are covered in tattoos. And, like, it's very similar in a job. But you need one thing to be. To be a tattoo artist. You got it. You got to be able to draw at least a little bit.
[00:51:04] Speaker B: You don't have it.
[00:51:05] Speaker C: That's not my forte. I can't do it. I can. I can look at something like, that's sick, but, like, I can't do that. Yeah.
Because, like, as a kid, you know, I was always fascinated with tattoos. I thought they were the coolest thing. And also, you know, talking about my rebellious childhood of, like, you know, people looked at tattoos like, my dad was always like, can't get tattoos. You can't get that now. He has a whole sleeve.
[00:51:23] Speaker B: But, like, my dad was like, don't. You can't get your ear pierced. I'll rip it out.
[00:51:26] Speaker C: And. Yeah, just. It's a. Yeah, we were those kids that when your parents. Which. It was funny because my mom didn't figure out, so I was like, well into my teenage years, I'm just like, tell me the opposite thing. Like, just like, because if you tell me you don't want me to do something, more than likely I'm gonna do it. Or at least, like, tiptoe around to kind of figure out why you don't want me to do this.
And so I think that was, like, my tattoo, like, fascination, like, being obsessed with, like, disappearing myself into movies and, like, music especially. It was, like, seeing, like, my favorite rock stars, like, covered tattoos, and I was like, this is sick. And so, like, once I became of age, like, my dad would have went with me to get my first tattoo, and I was, like, two days after I turned 18, and it was nonstop from there. Like, I mean, it slowed down a lot.
[00:52:09] Speaker B: I also just like, why did he go with you?
[00:52:11] Speaker C: Like, was he.
[00:52:12] Speaker B: Was he kind of supporting it and into it at that moment for you?
[00:52:15] Speaker C: Well, he. So my dad has, like, a few tattoos, like, even back then, but they were all hidden. Like, you couldn't see them.
[00:52:21] Speaker B: And he didn't want you to get any?
[00:52:22] Speaker C: No, he didn't want me to go because he would see, like, you know, the posters up on my wall. These guys have, like, their necks tattooed and their face tattooed.
[00:52:29] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:52:29] Speaker C: It's kind of like when I pierced my ears for the first time, my parents knew I was gonna stretch my lobes. Like, it was like, I didn't pierce them to have earrings. I pierced them to stretch. They knew as soon as I got that first tattoo, there was no stopping me. But his biggest rule was, like, hey, man, don't get tattooed below your elbow, because if you get tattooed below, you're never gonna get a job. And I'll never forget. And this is, like, the coolest thing ever was my mom was starting up a business, and I was kind of helping her with some tax stuff, and I showed her my tax return, like. Cause, like, you know, I've been doing my own taxes for a while at this point, and I was kind of showing her, and she was like, is this. Is this you and Kelly's, like, income combined? I was like, no. And she goes, that's just mine. And she goes, you made more money than your dad this year. And I was like, really? And I was kind of walking out. It's like, hey, I made more money than you. And, like, it was just kind of, like, one of those things of, like, to prove to myself, like, I'm gonna do what I want to do and what makes me happy, and it's like, it's gonna work out. And so, like, I got, you know, I got here covered in tattoos, and I, like, I think it really comes down to, like, I love this shift of, like, this tattoos in the workplace thing, because, like, if you don't have a tattoo, I really don't trust you. Like, there's something about you that's just like, if a guy's covering tattoo or if, like, a person's covered tattoo, I'm going to trust you because we can talk about things because it's one of those weird things.
[00:53:50] Speaker B: It's become so mainstream very much. We went to the open house at school for our sons. We got one in middle school, one now in high school. Every single one of their classroom teachers has a tattoo. Had tattoos, invisible, showing, showing. And I was getting so excited that as we went from room to room, I started looking for them. And 100% of the ones that are their teachers in the classroom with them that were there at open house that night, tattoos, multiple.
[00:54:18] Speaker C: And I love it. Like, my dad works in a hospital, and he's got a tattooed sleeve, and it's like, it's not a question there anymore. It's like, I love this stigma of, like, oh, you got tattoos, you're a bad person, and it's gonna affect your work habit where, like, most tattooed people that I know are some of the hardest working people I've ever met.
[00:54:33] Speaker B: It's funny, I saw a meme last night on Instagram that said, you ought to hire somebody who has shown they can sit in a chair for hours with needles being poked into them, because that's exactly what it feels like to sit in a meeting at your company.
[00:54:45] Speaker C: Yeah, 100%. It's just tattoos are super rad, and I love how, like, you know, they're super personable. Like, you can kind of get someone's kind of life kind of figure if you look at their art long enough. You're like, oh, like, you know, I got a tattoo with a razor. So, like, people can be like, oh, you're a barber. And it's like, yeah, or, like, seeing, like, my different, like, musicians tattoos that I have. And they're like, oh, you're fans of Led Zeppelin. You're fans of, like, the Stones. Like, it's just. It's cool that, like, I view my tattoos. They tell a story. Like, if I could go back, you know, to my first tattoo, I probably would. Like, there's so many kids now that, like, you know, 25 year old kids who have, like, the sickest tattoos because they planned it out. And, like, tattooing industry has shifted so hard in the last 15 years and. But, like, I love my style of, like, I can kind of walk you through my life backing up via tattoos, especially in my early twenties. Cause, like, I feel like your early twenties is a blur to almost everybody. And it's like. But I can remember that when I got that tattoo, I remember what was going through my head. I remember what I was listening to. I remember the music that I was listening to. I remember what movies I was into at that point. Like, it's. It's a cool way to walk through somebody's life with doing it, which is why I love tattoos.
[00:55:56] Speaker B: Ryan, this has been awesome. This has been fun. Thanks for doing this with me.
[00:56:00] Speaker C: Anytime, man. Anytime. I love. Do it again. Thank you.
[00:56:08] Speaker A: Thanks for listening to we are Chafee's looking up stream podcast. I hope that our conversation here today sparked curiosity for you, and if so, you can learn more in this episode's show
[email protected] if you have comments or know someone in chaffee County, Colorado, who I should consider talking with on the podcast, you can email me at adameare chafeepod.com. i also invite you to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever platform you use that has that functionality. I also welcome your telling others about the Looking Upstream podcast. Help us to keep growing community and connection through conversation. Once again, I'm Adam Williams, host, producer and photographer. John Pray is engineer and producer. Thank you to Cahin 106.9 FM, our community radio partner in Salida, Colorado. And to Andrea Carlstrom, director of Chaffee County Public Health and environment. And to Lisa Martin, community advocacy coordinator.
[00:57:02] Speaker B: For the we are Chafee Storytelling Initiative.
[00:57:04] Speaker A: The Looking Upstream podcast is a collaboration with the Chaffee County Department of Public Health and the Chaffee Housing Authority and is supported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environments Office of Health Equity.
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[00:57:29] Speaker B: As we say it, we are chafee.
[00:57:31] Speaker A: Share stories, make change.
