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MR. — The Ultimate Barbershop
 Co-founders Sean Heywood and Kumi Walker
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MR. retains a "clubby" sensibility and manliness, without succumbing to stuffiness or exclusivity. In fact, grooming professionals are trained to make all men look their best, regardless of hair texture or personal style. MR. is a completely contemporary, elegant take on the lone bastion of male grooming: the barbershop.
Gentlemen who don't live near the Bay Area, take note: a number of MR. shops are scheduled to open in most major U.S. cities, by 2009. You'd better get on the waiting list…now.
Sean and Kumi kindly set aside some time to talk about MR., a barbershop with ‘Real Barbers, Real Conversations, Real Guys', precisely for the COCOAHOMME, men of color with distinguished grooming.
HOMME: What are the grooming necessities for today's sophisticated man?
MR.: We don't proclaim to be experts on sophistication, but we do believe there are a few grooming basics.
- Shampoo & Condition Daily — No need to elaborate here.
- A good face wash regimen — Understand how your skin responds and make sure to wash every morning and evening.
- Shave — Every man's skin type is different, so if you have not yet figured out what shave regimen works best for you, seek insight from the experts — a MR. Barber.
- Moisturize — This is the most often neglected portion of most guys' regimens, but it is just as important as the rest. Always use a moisturizer with SPF to protect against sun damage and irritation.
- Be consistent — Make time everyday for grooming. See it as an escape, and not a chore.
HOMME: It is more than a barbershop, more than a male-oriented spa — how would you best describe your business?
MR.: MR. is a stylish fusion of contemporary barbershop and boho bar with a hotel lounge MO. We have 8 barber chairs, 2 shoeshine stands, 9 plasma televisions, including one 100” HDTV, in addition to champagne, beer, and wine. Imagine the feeling evinced as you walk into your favorite New York City, Chicago or Atlanta nightclub and the ambiance and décor is out of this world. Imagine the sense of belonging evinced as you walk into your barbershop and see the men you grew up with already in the store waiting to chat it up with you. Mesh all of these feelings and this is the most accurate description of what MR. is.
HOMME: What treatments do you offer that are unique to your shop?
MR.: We offer haircuts, straight razor shaves and shoe shine services. It's a fairly simple portfolio of services, but we do it extremely well. MR. however makes an impression on clients not so much by the novelty of the services, but more so in the execution of these services and how the business enables clients to seamlessly integrate the service into their demanding work and social calendars.
HOMME: What are some of the perks that come with membership?
MR.: MR. has partnered with many of the most popular nightclubs, restaurants, retailers, promoters and athletic clubs within the Bay Area. All of our members, depending on their tier of membership, have access to special perks and privileges. We also have several in-store events (wine tastings, custom tailoring, trunk shows) that are exclusive to our members.
HOMME: In terms of grooming, who are some of your style icons?
MR.: Sidney Poitier, Ralph Lauren, Barrack Obama, Kanye West, George Clooney, Don Cheadle
HOMME: What has your feedback from clients been? Have men been receptive, or hesitant for such a decadent experience?
MR.: Our feedback has been overwhelmingly positive thus far. With luxe service businesses, it is quite difficult to articulate the value proposition to potential customers and partners via words and pictures - especially when the service being offered is a novel concept. We've found that once our customers step foot into the store they are hooked.
HOMME: You guys made quite the career transition - how were you able to do it so successfully?
MR.: We attribute much of our success to our friendship, mutual respect, and our commitment to help each other succeed in the face of adversity and naysayers. We also acknowledge the support we received from our fiancés, family and friends throughout this process. There is a tremendous amount of risk involved in new ventures, and without a strong support unit, it is difficult to imagine a successful transition.
HOMME: Do you have recommendations for other guys out there, looking to break free of Corporate America with similar success?
MR.: Corporate America has its benefits and it is clearly an amazing professional training ground. At some point very early on in our careers after Brown, however, we realized that it just wasn't for us. That realization helped fuel our entrepreneurial engine and helped us get to where we are now. If you do decide to make the plunge and leave corporate America behind, make sure you have identified a viable way to make the transition and try and save money to mitigate some of the risks involved with a career change. Without a plan, an exit from Corporate America doesn't guarantee a positive outcome, and can ultimately lead to a less than desirable result. Nevertheless, don't let the world define your destiny.
Visit www.mrthebarbershop.com for more details.
By Sacha Phillip
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