Episode 8
Just Press Play Ep. 208: Good Head - A Queer Barbershop Reinventing Self Care For All (Part 2)
We're back with Edwin Pabon and Jorge Cortez, owners of Good Head Barbershop. In this episode, we learn more about how the duo got into cutting heads, the origin of Good Head (including the name), haircut horror stories and much more!
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Transcript
Previously on Just Press Play with Elle and Trey.
Speaker B:Edwin.
Speaker B:Jorge.
Speaker B:Edwin.
Speaker C:Jorge.
Speaker D:Our relationship, I would say, I guess from the beginning, I would say marriage.
Speaker C:I feel like George is a bad cop.
Speaker C:I'm a good cop, but like, as a union, you know, I flip.
Speaker B:Hi.
Speaker B:Welcome back to another episode of Just Press Play with Elle and Trey.
Speaker B:And we're joined today with our favorite friends, CEOs and owners of Goodhead Barbershop here in Hell's Kitchen and the location in Chelsea.
Speaker B:And let's get to it.
Speaker B:Let's learn more about Goodhead, the owners and what their mission is for the community outside of hair.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So today we're talking, in a sense about a form of self care that you might not necessarily constitute as form of self care, but a haircut is a simple act that actually I researched dates all the way back to ancient Egypt.
Speaker A:And it has the ability to make us feel fresh, powerful, beautiful, and other things.
Speaker B:But here's the thing.
Speaker B:As a gay person walking into a typical barbershop, many of us are robbed of that which should be a moment of self care.
Speaker B:I don't know about y', all, but I'm a 37 year old gay man and I've tried the code switch in to escape the harassment of straight men.
Speaker B:But girl, it don't work.
Speaker B:And that's why this queer owned barbershop is more than just a place to get your hair trimmed.
Speaker B:It's a safe place where we don't have to feel like we have to shrink ourselves or feel judged.
Speaker B:And today we're going to dive into what that means for our community.
Speaker A:I remember I used to live in Hell's Kitchen.
Speaker A:Actually, I live in Harlem now, but I remember walking, I believe it was near temple on 49th street and seeing a sticker on a lamppost that just said Goodhead.
Speaker A:And it also said handsome.
Speaker A:And it was, I believe now, a picture of U2.
Speaker A:And I remember looking at it and being like, girl, is this an escort service or a bar?
Speaker A:I was like, I don't know what it is, but either way I'm intrigued.
Speaker B:Or bathhouse.
Speaker A:Yeah, or bathhouse.
Speaker B:Because it said good head.
Speaker B:And I was like, well, let me open the door.
Speaker D:That's part of the lure.
Speaker D:It's the intrigue of the name.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Can you tell us about how this shop came to be?
Speaker A:Like, the story of, you know, its creation, including how you came up with the name?
Speaker B:Start from the very beginning because I want to hear a story.
Speaker A:Yes, tell us a story.
Speaker C:The name I feel like, came to me from My ex boss, we worked for Miles Martinez at Freeman's Barbershop, and he went on to open Tufts, but he was the one who trained us with our hair cutting method.
Speaker C:And when he was training us, he would always say, because we were worried about the time or whatever, and he would always say, don't worry about the time.
Speaker C:Just give a good haircut.
Speaker C:And then when he opened Tuft, he had this phrase that he always used called good looks.
Speaker C:I think it was good looks.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, good looks was like his little tag that he wanted to use on his social media.
Speaker C:And when he used that tag, the first thing that came to me was Good Head.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Instead of good looks, I replaced looks with head.
Speaker C:And I just thought to myself, that would make an incredible name for a barbershop, you know, because it's Good Head, you know, and it has, like, a double entendre.
Speaker C:Of course it catches your eye, but the meaning is real.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:When you come into Good Head, you're actually coming out with your head.
Speaker C:Good.
Speaker C:We're at the beginning of our journey.
Speaker C:But I feel like Good Head will be like a global name.
Speaker C:Like, you know what I mean?
Speaker C:I feel like.
Speaker C:I almost feel like the world's not ready for what it is, but it's gonna be very natural that you'll see Good Head, and it's gonna be like Coca Cola.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, for me, that's.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's just.
Speaker A:I want to be a brand name.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:I know that right now.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The weird thing about it is that, like, at this moment, it seems like a joke, but I know in my soul that it's not.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:I know that it will grow to be a great brand.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What do you think, Jorge?
Speaker D:There was an incubator period of that idea.
Speaker D:When you were working on Fire Island.
Speaker D:When we were working on Fire island during the pandemic, and you were just spitting out cuts left and right, and there was a point where we were meeting up to, like, switch.
Speaker D:Switch shifts because we were always working one at a time and switching over.
Speaker D:And you remember, you pull me aside as, like, I want to open up a barbershop, and you were throwing names out there, but the one that stuck out was Goodhead.
Speaker D:And it's like, that's the one with the most potential, not only because of its double entendre, but also because you walk out with a good haircut, but also it speaks to the power of how people Are comfortable how clients are comfortable having conversations with your barbers.
Speaker D:Having these like conversations where they get to unload themselves and just like have a frank conversation about life, about whatever.
Speaker D:And you learn something in that process as well.
Speaker D:And you work, you walk out with new, new thoughts, new new new insights.
Speaker D:And you walk out with a haircut that's fresh and powerful.
Speaker D:So it goes with that as well.
Speaker D:It's like it just such a.
Speaker D:An interchangeable feeling where you get a haircut.
Speaker D:You walk out with good head thoughts, a new outlook, great conversation.
Speaker D:And it's.
Speaker D:And it's a multi use name and it's very, very flexible.
Speaker B:It's doing well for context.
Speaker B:How old is good head?
Speaker D: We established in: Speaker B:What?
Speaker D: In: Speaker D: Yes, November of: Speaker A:Yeah, that's the year definitely.
Speaker A:I saw that, that sticker on that lamp post.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:So you've been open for almost four years and you already have two locations?
Speaker D:Two?
Speaker D:Yes, three.
Speaker C:We had almost three.
Speaker D:With a pop up in Fire Island, A seasonal pop up in Fire island.
Speaker D:And that one's a partnership with the old Fire island business district.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:That's where the Handsome came from.
Speaker D:Handsome is their.
Speaker D:The name of the shop that is in Fire island and it's basically a collaboration between.
Speaker C:We had done it.
Speaker C:We've been doing that one for like six years.
Speaker D:Yeah, this.
Speaker D:We just finished our 60 year cutting hair there.
Speaker A:Oh wow.
Speaker D: Since: Speaker C:So handsome, good head.
Speaker C:Fire island started first before we like, it's weird.
Speaker C:Usually you would start a business in New York and you will pop up at a beach location, whether it's the Hamptons or Fire Island.
Speaker C:We came backwards.
Speaker C:Yeah, we actually like started in Fire island and Goodhead was.
Speaker C:Goodhead is the creation of Fire Island.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:It came from Fire island into the city.
Speaker C:So when we opened, you know, what happened was this is the story.
Speaker C:Pandemic happened and the restrictions for cutting hair were lifted a lot sooner in Long Island.
Speaker C:So the summer of Pandemic, we opened the barber shop, I think in June.
Speaker C:And you still couldn't get haircuts in the city.
Speaker C:So me and George went that summer.
Speaker C:I went first.
Speaker C:You know, my boss didn't want to go any.
Speaker C:That's another story for another podcast.
Speaker C:But my boss had started it.
Speaker C:They came to me first and they said, would you want to cut hair on Fire Island?
Speaker C:I said, no, if you get my boss involved, you know, I'll do it and we'll like alternate barbers.
Speaker C:So for the first year he did it, you know, and I was involved to like put it all together.
Speaker C:But then he got Covid.
Speaker C:So the following summer he's like, I'm not going to Fire island.
Speaker C:And I don't think you should go either.
Speaker C:He's like, the gay guys don't know how to social distance.
Speaker C:So I have.
Speaker B:We don't.
Speaker A:They know how, they just don't wanna.
Speaker D:Understandably, he had.
Speaker C:He's nervous.
Speaker D:He got hit really hard by covet.
Speaker D:So of course, grounds for concern on that.
Speaker C:Yeah, for us, he got really sick.
Speaker C:He made it out of the ventilator, but he was really sick.
Speaker C:And I remember thinking, you know, like, I put this, this whole situation together.
Speaker C:I don't want to lose it.
Speaker C:And so I decided to go that summer and I started cutting from like June through like August.
Speaker C:So we caught everybody on Fire island, plus guys that came on the ferry to get a haircut with us.
Speaker C: ic, we had accumulated like a: Speaker C:And that's how we knew the following year that it was time for us to open Goodhead.
Speaker B:That's amazing.
Speaker C:From the Pandemic.
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker B:When you originally open.
Speaker B:Well, when you open a good head, did you seek out to like make it like a queer barbershop or gay barbershop right away or did you just say, oh, we're just opening a barbershop, these people will come.
Speaker B:I feel like I know the answer.
Speaker B:But what was your vision?
Speaker C:Queer?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:For me it was when I went to work for my boss, you know, like, it was like a higher end sort of barbershop, you know, and it was kind of like a whiskey barbershop with like a lot of wood and like very bro y and like football games on Sundays and.
Speaker C:But it had a nice community.
Speaker C:Sort of like when you go to the hood in the black barbershops or the Latin barbershops, there was community.
Speaker C:And I thought to myself, and it was nice haircuts.
Speaker C:The prices were a little elevated, but it was really nice haircuts.
Speaker C:And I just thought to myself, I wonder why gay people don't have this?
Speaker C:You know, I just thought to myself, it's really weird because gay guys really like to keep up with their look and they like nice things.
Speaker C:Why hasn't anyone come up with a higher end barbershop?
Speaker C:Yeah, it didn't make any sense to.
Speaker B:Me for the girls, you know what I mean?
Speaker C:Yeah, it made no sense to me.
Speaker C:And I thought, I can't believe that I'm one of the only queer barbers here.
Speaker C:So then George came, and there was, like, one lesbian that worked with us, but I was, like, in total shock.
Speaker C:And I think that's kind of also where the light bulb went off.
Speaker C:And I thought to myself, you know, it's time to do this.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I feel like your success also is a testament to how much there was a need and a demand for, like, a community for gay people around barbershops.
Speaker A:Like, you talked a little bit about how going to a barbershop, you don't necessarily feel the most comfortable if you don't feel like there are your people in there.
Speaker A:Like, if it's so heteronormative or the culture of the people is different than yours.
Speaker A:I'm wondering what drew you to barbering specifically?
Speaker A:Like, was it the craft of cutting heads?
Speaker A:Was it that community aspect?
Speaker A:Or was it some combination or something else entirely?
Speaker D:For me, I'd like to say that it was a stepping stone, tapping in and out.
Speaker D:No, that's right.
Speaker D:It's great for me.
Speaker D:How I found barbering was first as a client of the barbershop that Edwin and I ended up becoming apprentices at at Freeman Sporting Club.
Speaker D:And I was the highest.
Speaker C:Yeah, it was the chicest thing.
Speaker D:They had their own clothing line.
Speaker C:They was like, super cool.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker D:And, you know, it was a very, very small barbershop.
Speaker D:And at the time, I was working in tech, and I was a client of that shop.
Speaker D:I believe it's for about a year and a half before I started noticing the craft and the interactions between the barber and the client.
Speaker D:And then at any given moment, depending on the energy, the whole barber shop was involved.
Speaker D:It was a pretty small shop, so a conversation could sprung up, spring up, and then everybody would be involved.
Speaker D:And I thought there was magic in that.
Speaker D:And I was.
Speaker D:At the time, I was thinking, well, I'm getting tired of staring at a computer for 13 hours a day.
Speaker D:I want to change to something else.
Speaker D:I just don't know what it is.
Speaker B:What'd you do?
Speaker D:Before I was doing production design for tech companies, I lived in San Francisco.
Speaker D:And in that time, I had a career in tech.
Speaker D:And when I moved back to New York, I already had the thought in my head that I wanted to switch it, switch it up.
Speaker D:I wanted to go some other direction.
Speaker D:I just didn't know what.
Speaker D:So at the time, I thought cutting hair would have been that sort of intermediate step to whatever it is that I wanted to go towards.
Speaker D:And so I started asking my.
Speaker D:My.
Speaker D:My.
Speaker D:My barber at the time what the process is.
Speaker D:And he was giving me the ins and outs, yada, yada, yada.
Speaker D:And then six months after that conversation, I became an apprentice of that shop.
Speaker D:And within about a month after, Edwin had started cutting hair, as well as an apprentice.
Speaker D:So we were both one of three queer barbers in that shop.
Speaker D:And it was great.
Speaker D:It was wonderful.
Speaker D:And I don't necessarily.
Speaker D:I didn't necessarily feel like I had to adjust my behavior.
Speaker D:I think everybody was welcoming, and everybody was definitely interested in our story because you would see the.
Speaker D:How curious they were when it came to our stories.
Speaker D:Like, oh, I went out this.
Speaker D:This night, or I hung out with some friends, and they're.
Speaker D:Oh, really?
Speaker D:Tell us.
Speaker D:Tell us.
Speaker B:Like, they're like, we don't have a life.
Speaker B:We're screwed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And I felt welcome from day one, and it just.
Speaker D:Yeah, it was a wonderful experience.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Have you ever had a bad haircut?
Speaker B:Either.
Speaker B:Either of you had a bad haircut at a straight barbershop?
Speaker B:What was that?
Speaker B:Like?
Speaker D:It's part of.
Speaker D:It's part of.
Speaker D:Part of our trade to have a bad haircut.
Speaker D:Like, a bad hair day.
Speaker D:It happens.
Speaker D:And it's a lot of the times unplanned.
Speaker B:But I mean, not that you cut, like.
Speaker B:Like, personally, that you got.
Speaker D:That I got.
Speaker B:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker B:Your haircuts are perfect.
Speaker B:You cut my hair?
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker D:Well, I was traveling in Colombia before I started cutting hair, and I knew early on that I needed to have a photograph just to get reference to show.
Speaker D:Show the stylist or barber what I wanted.
Speaker B:Cause you don't.
Speaker B:Cause, like, a lot of us don't know how to.
Speaker B:I don't know how to describe what I want.
Speaker B:That's the prize about coming here.
Speaker B:I was like, just, you know, make these lines the way they look supposed to look, or.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Back in the day, because I've had this for a long time.
Speaker A:But I would bring a picture, like, do it like this.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's the best way.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's the best way.
Speaker D:It's an open dialogue between the stylist and the client is like, this is what I'm going for.
Speaker D:And then in that conversation, you ask, well, is this the same hairstyle you have?
Speaker D:Is this the same hair texture?
Speaker D:And you just try to meet somewhere in the middle and try to agree on something.
Speaker A:But I also always want the girls to be like, do what you think is gonna make me love this.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like, I'd be like, be an artist.
Speaker A:Just make it look good, Damn it.
Speaker B:Be an artist.
Speaker B:And I'LL maybe pay you if I like it, or I'll complain.
Speaker C:No, wait.
Speaker B:You were in Colombia.
Speaker B:You had a bad haircut.
Speaker D:What was that?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And it was absolutely nothing.
Speaker D:I'll show you the photo of what I wanted and what I got, and it was a haircut and a beard trim.
Speaker D:But I.
Speaker D:In retrospect, I had to be more compassionate about it and not get angry because they didn't have the same training I have.
Speaker D:We didn't have the same background.
Speaker D:So I was like, okay, this was the best they can do.
Speaker D:But at the time, I was livid.
Speaker D:I actually went back to wearing caps, and I hadn't worn a hat in decades, starting that moment.
Speaker D:I can't do this.
Speaker A:I love the word livid.
Speaker A:He wasn't that bitch.
Speaker A:I was livid.
Speaker B:Imagine paying someone being livid.
Speaker B:But here's your $20 especially.
Speaker D:I was like, in Colombia, and I was just like, I'm meeting so many beautiful guys.
Speaker D:And I'm like, oh, my God.
Speaker D:How am I going to present myself with this mop?
Speaker B:Oh, you went to so and so, didn't you?
Speaker C:I did.
Speaker B:I did.
Speaker D:I went to so and so's and got a hoozy.
Speaker D:What's it.
Speaker B:Well, yeah.
Speaker B:Wait, have you ever had a bad haircut?
Speaker C:I did.
Speaker C:I remember I was like.
Speaker C:I was a teenager, and I. I was trying to save money, and I went to the.
Speaker C:The barber school.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I got Zeke.
Speaker B:It's a.
Speaker C:And I left, you know, and it's weird, because I shouldn't have done that.
Speaker B:What is it?
Speaker C:Because Zeke is.
Speaker C:When they, like, give you, like, a bad.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:A bad haircut.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:And you know, when you're a teenager, especially me, I was like, very.
Speaker C:About my looks.
Speaker C:Very.
Speaker C:So I'm.
Speaker C:I'm.
Speaker C:I'm upset that I Like that I did that because I paid hard for it.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, when I came out, I was.
Speaker C:I was literally crying.
Speaker C:I cried.
Speaker C:I cried.
Speaker C:No, for real.
Speaker A:God.
Speaker B:The baby.
Speaker C:I was like, oh, my God, they messed up up my hair.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I remember one time, because I.
Speaker B:My dad always took me to get my haircuts.
Speaker B:And you know that experience?
Speaker B:What?
Speaker B:It was because your dad's there because he knows what you want, or he told the barber what I wanted, and I was like, that's all right.
Speaker B:But I joined the military, and they have no remorse.
Speaker B:My first haircut in the military, they just took that buzz, and they were just like, you a sheep bitch.
Speaker B:You joined this ship, didn't you?
Speaker B:You thought it was gonna be cute.
Speaker B:It wasn't cute for five years.
Speaker B:And then when I got out, like.
Speaker B:And I was used to it not being cute.
Speaker B:I was fine.
Speaker B:I was in the military.
Speaker B:You look like everybody else.
Speaker B:Look, a blueberry.
Speaker B:But then when I got out, there was this one time.
Speaker B:And it relates to hair.
Speaker B:There's this one time that I got my eyebrows done, and I was very specific with this lady.
Speaker B:I was like, you know, I just want you to, like, just clean up right here.
Speaker B:Like, a little bit right here.
Speaker B:And she leaned me back, and she was going to town.
Speaker B:I was like, you know, this is taking my house.
Speaker B:It's taking.
Speaker B:Taking way too long.
Speaker B:I was like.
Speaker B:And it feels like she's doing her own thing.
Speaker B:So then she, like, she's done.
Speaker B:And she looks at me, and she's like, you look like a model.
Speaker B:And I was like, I didn't ask for that.
Speaker B:I didn't ask for that.
Speaker B:And they were so thin, and I was livid.
Speaker C:She gave you, like, an old.
Speaker B:She gave me the highest arch you.
Speaker C:Ever could have, you know, like a thin Hollywood eyebrow.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:I got in the car and I. I looked back at, like, the establishment.
Speaker B:I was like, I'm glad I'm not an arson anymore.
Speaker B:Like, this is fucked up, bro.
Speaker C:You.
Speaker B:Not anymore.
Speaker B:I don't start fires no more, but this is where I would start a fire.
Speaker D:She gave her Greta Garbo.
Speaker B:And then there was times when I like Greta Garbo.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It was crazy.
Speaker B:And there was times that I've gotten asked.
Speaker B:I stopped asking for hairlines a long time ago, but I've gotten hairlines.
Speaker B:And I don't know.
Speaker B:Some people get, like, razor happy, and I've got, like, nicks and cut.
Speaker B:I'm like, damn, I paid for surgery today for cheap.
Speaker A:I've definitely had.
Speaker A:Where they got you, like, looking like Willie way back, and it's crooked, and it's pushed the fuck back.
Speaker A:I was like, I trusted you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And look what you did.
Speaker A:It feels like a violation of trust.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:You have.
Speaker B:I know, George.
Speaker B:We talked last week.
Speaker B:You have a big.
Speaker B:You have your own mission statement for what you want.
Speaker B:Besides the haircuts.
Speaker B:There's a portion of it that wants people to feel comfortable.
Speaker B:It's really rooted in community.
Speaker B:And I wanted you to kind of, like, put your spins together on that, because it's more than just haircuts.
Speaker B:There's obviously art on your walls, and you seek to provide space for more than just haircuts and style.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:We want this to be a community space.
Speaker D:We want this to be a safe space for everybody and give people an opportunity to let their guard down.
Speaker D:We like to invite artists, queer art, local queer artists, to hang their stuff on their walls.
Speaker D:And we're fortunate to have amazing artists come show their work.
Speaker D:And, yeah, we get so many people from so many walks of life that it helps keep things fresh.
Speaker D:Conversations are very varied.
Speaker D:It's an open forum.
Speaker D:And I think in.
Speaker D:In.
Speaker D:In respect to the future, I would like to believe that it's integrated.
Speaker D:And I want us to be not just exclusively a gay barbershop.
Speaker D:I want us to be straight, friendly, open to everybody, and we welcome everybody, and we want to build on that.
Speaker D:And the haircuts is one thing, but it's the community aspect that I think is most exciting about this barbershop, this experience, this project, experiment, so to speak.
Speaker B:Because I feel like it's.
Speaker B:I was telling Trey, I was like, you know, being in your chair and having that experience in multiple chairs here, it's more than just gay men that get.
Speaker B:Go to a barber that needs a haircut.
Speaker B:I mean, like, some stylists do certain things.
Speaker B:There's also more than barbers here.
Speaker B:There's stylists here.
Speaker B:There's people that use scissors and color here.
Speaker B:I'm not trying to sell the services, but people do that in the chairs.
Speaker B:But creating that space for where anyone that gets a haircut or go to a barber is something that I feel like that's sacred, because even my mom, she's done a few buzz cuts, and she doesn't really know who to go to.
Speaker B:And it's not really a comfortable thing for her, because in Christian religion, women don't cut their hair.
Speaker B:So she's got to be very specific who she goes to and if they're gonna make her, you know, feel feminine and have the feminine touch.
Speaker B:So that's all about technique and being comfortable.
Speaker B:So, you know, that's just adding to what you're looking to create.
Speaker B:I feel like it's really important.
Speaker D:One of the things we try to.
Speaker D:To try to encourage our clients to do is to, like, not.
Speaker D:There's this unspoken rule that clients are very loyal to their stylists.
Speaker D:Barbers, they always go to one and specifically one.
Speaker D:And I, I. I get the.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker D:The.
Speaker D:The nervousness of going to somebody new.
Speaker D:But we encourage, we like to say that we're polyamorous.
Speaker D:We like to share the clients, and we're like, oh, if any chance I am on vacation, I was like, go to Edwin.
Speaker D:Edwin will take good care of you.
Speaker D:We have.
Speaker D:We like, to suggest compatible barbers and stylists to our clients and just, like, keep it open and keep it communal in that sense and keep that language going.
Speaker B:They said, we're going to keep that coin.
Speaker B:You're going to go nowhere else.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker A:Stay in the shop.
Speaker C:The thing is true, we'd rather, like, you stay with us and, like, know that you're going to be taken care of and know that you're gonna get a haircut the way we do it.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Because I feel like we have, like, a certain style of cutting as opposed to, like, you going to the other barber shop and they might mess up your hair and then it's gonna take us three haircuts to get you back to where you were.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, I'm just being honest and I feel like we'll do it, but it's like you're going to notice the difference, you know, they always come back, like I said, go somewhere else.
Speaker C:They always even got guys that, you know, like, come here and try to have us, like, set their hair and then, like, go somewhere else to, like, keep it up.
Speaker C:They wind up coming back.
Speaker B:Yeah, you can't.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Things like that, usually.
Speaker B:Because then you can go.
Speaker B:You end up paying more for it.
Speaker A:At the end of the day, right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:If you buy cheap, you buy twice, I think.
Speaker A:Twice.
Speaker A:I heard at least twice.
Speaker A:But I think it also comes back to that.
Speaker A:That idea of trust, right?
Speaker A:Like, you build a relationship with someone and, you know, believing in the brand enough to know that no matter who you're going to go to here, you're going to get a good haircut.
Speaker A:I do want to ask about.
Speaker A:I scoured the Instagram doing research, and I found something interesting.
Speaker A: There was a post in: Speaker A:It's a vibe and it's a culture.
Speaker A:When I'm cutting someone's hair, I'm adding in all the experiences I've had, all the influences in my life.
Speaker A:Can you just, like, talk a little bit about what that means for me?
Speaker C:I feel like.
Speaker C:Yeah, because I never answered the last question that you asked about, like, what got me into cutting.
Speaker C:So what got me into cutting was I feel like I was always a closet case cutter.
Speaker C:All my friends were hairdressers since I was, like, in my 20s, young.
Speaker C:Everybody that I knew was, like, a really good hairdresser.
Speaker C:I was friends with Orbe and I was really good friends with his assistant, Roque, who winded up doing Mariah Carey and my friend Jimmy Paul.
Speaker C:And I had, like, a lot of people in the fashion world, you know, that did hair, and I also worked in that.
Speaker C:That section where I did wardrobe styling for a long time.
Speaker C:I did wardrobe styling on photo shoots and, you know, movie sets.
Speaker C:And I did that for a while.
Speaker C:But then, like, that work didn't turn out to be, like, what I wanted it to be.
Speaker C:It was, like, long hours.
Speaker C:I didn't have a life.
Speaker C:I was making a ton of money.
Speaker C:Probably more than that I'm making now, but I didn't really have a life.
Speaker C:So I moved on to doing photography, and I did, like, photography for a minute, you know, So I kind of felt like I was in this business where I didn't want to be because I was working too much.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And it wasn't fulfilling as it was when I started.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:You know, in the fashion business.
Speaker C:So I was like, you know what?
Speaker C:I need to get out of this.
Speaker C:I feel like I'm in a factory.
Speaker C:I'm not having fun anymore.
Speaker C:I still need to do something with my eyes and my hands.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, and I said, let me try hairdressing, you know, barbering.
Speaker C:And so then I just started researching who was the best, and I found Miles.
Speaker C:Miles was one of my top choices, and I went to study under Miles.
Speaker C:But, like, when I cut hair, I feel like, yeah, I'm bringing in everything that I did up to this point.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:If you see the shop, I feel like the shop reflects kind of a hot studio.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, the lighting, you said it reflects what?
Speaker C:Reflect, like a fashion shoe.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, yeah, each station is like a beauty station.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Where you're getting someone ready for the Oscars for, like, a Vogue shoot.
Speaker C:Like, this is how it looks backstage.
Speaker C:So I wanted to bring that into the barbershop so that when people sat in the chair, you know, the room was just kind of an enhancement to them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:This is about you.
Speaker C:And I knew that, like, creating these spaces, that I wanted it to be kind of about the client, and I wanted the client to feel like a movie star.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because I'm very into film.
Speaker C:I'm a film buff.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You knocked that game out of the park.
Speaker C:Want you to feel, you know, like you're a star, you know, and.
Speaker C:And then, yeah.
Speaker C:When I'm cutting your hair and I'm looking at you, I'm kind of infusing all the different characters that I feel like match to you.
Speaker C:So, you know what I mean, whatever.
Speaker C:Whatever vibe you're giving, I'm going to try to infuse that into the car.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, absolutely.
Speaker A:What about you?
Speaker A:Do you have thoughts?
Speaker D:We are a product of our past, and we are able to bring those together to this.
Speaker D:Like, I never once thought that working in design would have allowed me to bring it to a barbershop setting, to bring it into a salon setting.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:And, of course, all the other life lessons, to be able to have these conversations with my clients, it's like, of course it's gonna.
Speaker D:I'm a product of that.
Speaker D:And we never stop growing.
Speaker D:We never stop learning new things.
Speaker D:We never stop being uncomfortable.
Speaker D:Like, I think that's the thing that we take pride in.
Speaker D:It's like, we're pretty new, but we're willing to grow.
Speaker D:We're vulnerable and learning new things.
Speaker B:Is there any story between the two of you individually that sticks out where someone was so happy or.
Speaker B:So, please, did you change someone's life?
Speaker B:I know you have.
Speaker D:So we get a lot of clients that just reach out, and it's like, you know, I don't.
Speaker D:I wasn't expecting to get this many compliments.
Speaker D:And then they go out of their way to tell us this, and it's.
Speaker D:It speaks to the success of the haircut and the collaboration, because it's a collaboration where, like, a lot of people are vulnerable and they place their trust on us, and we do the best that we can to give them a haircut that meets their needs.
Speaker D:And to see that feedback is.
Speaker D:It's wonderful.
Speaker D:It's empowering to see, like, oh, I've never had this many compliments.
Speaker D:I feel so powerful.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker D:And we sort of help uncover and restore that power that's already latent and.
Speaker D:Latent.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think it happens a lot, man.
Speaker C:Is really.
Speaker C:It's like, to me, I feel like it's astonishing, like, how many people, like, get elevated, you know?
Speaker C:And, like, they probably.
Speaker C:Like, a lot of times I'll give someone a car, and they're not.
Speaker C:I could tell.
Speaker C:They're like, they're not really, like, they're.
Speaker A:Not like, oh, you can always tell.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Where they've sat.
Speaker C:And they, like, do whatever.
Speaker C:And I'm like, all right, I'm gonna do whatever.
Speaker C:And, like, when I'm done, they're like, I'm not too sure.
Speaker C:But then they leave, and they get, like, 20 compliments, and they come back and they're like, oh, my God.
Speaker A:So circling back to that question we asked at the beginning about, you know, the one word to describe yourself, your partnership and the business.
Speaker A:What would you say that operating this business has taught you about yourself, about one another, and about running a business?
Speaker D:I think it's an ongoing exercise in sharing the load.
Speaker D:Operating a business is a lot of work.
Speaker D:A lot of tasks tend to come up on any given moment, and being able to rely on each other to get the tasks done is pivotal.
Speaker D:And it's an ongoing relationship.
Speaker D:It's an ongoing project that we're ironing out.
Speaker D:We're working on it.
Speaker C:And sharing.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, four years.
Speaker B:Four years.
Speaker B:And to be open, have two successful locations.
Speaker B:I feel like it might take some people a lot longer to get the first one.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:We're still very young, ahead of what most people accomplish.
Speaker A:I mean, kudos.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker B:What you do sticks out and it stuck to people, for people to constantly come back and sign up and make appointments and rely on you.
Speaker B:So that's good.
Speaker B:Especially in Fire Island Girl.
Speaker B:I mean, here's the thing.
Speaker B:If you need a haircut in Fire island and you look a mess, you're going to look out for a barber.
Speaker B:But if you walk by and you're like, this is not giving.
Speaker B:I guess I'm gonna say a mess.
Speaker B:I would say a mess.
Speaker B:Because a bad haircut means you need now to wait two to three weeks for your little edges to grow back in for you.
Speaker B:Go to another barber and take a chance with them.
Speaker B:So you have a great formula.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You recently wrote.
Speaker B:Edwin, you recently wrote that your mother taught you your skills as a child.
Speaker B:She's an entrepreneur.
Speaker B:Is your mom entrepreneur?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:What's your mother?
Speaker C:Where was that?
Speaker B:Where'd you find that?
Speaker A:No, I know.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker D:Where'd you find that?
Speaker C:I love that.
Speaker A:I went on Instagram and it was like, actually, like, a beautiful tribute to your mother that you wrote about how, you know, it was a little more complex and that you had mixed feelings about how she was an entrepreneur as well.
Speaker A:And that led her to working so much, to where she wasn't necessarily always around, but that you always also later in life realized, you know, she taught you how to count money.
Speaker A:Like, she taught you how to pay bills at a very young age.
Speaker C:Very young.
Speaker A:And that some of those things have stuck with you.
Speaker A:And I guess I was wondering if you feel like your entrepreneurship now is kind of like carrying on her entrepreneurial spirit.
Speaker C:It is, definitely.
Speaker C:It definitely is.
Speaker C:You know, at first, I resented her when I was younger because I was like, oh, she works too much.
Speaker C:She doesn't have time for me.
Speaker C:You know, I Was like very selfish for her time and.
Speaker C:But now as I grow older, I feel grateful for the skills that she taught me, you know, and you know, the things that she showed me, you know, like as a kid, you know what I used to play?
Speaker C:My game was playing paint bills.
Speaker B:Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker B:I used to play that same game.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I hate that I have to do it.
Speaker C:Crazy because like now even when I like write bills, as much as I don't want to, like let the money go, I kind of like, I love sitting down writing checks.
Speaker B:I used to take my dad's old checks.
Speaker B:It's so crazy.
Speaker B:I don't write checks anymore, but I used to take my dad's old checks.
Speaker B:The bank used to return them, right?
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker B:And I would take them out and they had to like, my parents had to gather all the checks up and put them.
Speaker B:I would take them to school, I would take them to my grandma house.
Speaker B:People used to know my parents business.
Speaker B:I was like, I'm writing checks, bitch.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I used to pay, I used to write checks.
Speaker C:I sat and wrote checks.
Speaker B:Like, don't enjoy it as much anymore, right?
Speaker B:You're like, fuck, I gotta pay rent, right?
Speaker D:I was like, now you see the money flying away, so you don't enjoy it as much, right?
Speaker A:Like, I wish this was just a game.
Speaker B:I wish it was.
Speaker A:I wish this was a game in my favor.
Speaker C:It was good.
Speaker C:It was good to see my mom was ahead of her time because she was like a Latin woman and she came to this country as an immigrant and she must have been.
Speaker C:She was a little crazy too because she was like in business and she was buying real estate and she was doing all this stuff that like single mom, you know, men, for a long time women couldn't have a bank account.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, yeah.
Speaker C:It's not too.
Speaker A:Things that you forget.
Speaker C:Not too long ago, your dad or your husband had to sign for you.
Speaker B:That's so cool.
Speaker C:To be able to have a car, like credit card or a bank account.
Speaker A:How we loved making people less than.
Speaker B:What would I do if I didn't have a dad?
Speaker C:To be honest, even today nowadays, like it's.
Speaker C:It's 20, 24 and there's people that won't vote for a female president.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker C:Because he's a woman, Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Just because.
Speaker C:Just because.
Speaker C:Just because it's a woman, other women will not vote for you.
Speaker C:And I find that insane.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It also opens up the ideology which shouldn't be, it shouldn't be a Closed thought process anyway.
Speaker B:But, like, women can do everything.
Speaker B:Everything, Everything.
Speaker B:You know, they raised us.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, to produce a whole body inside of your body.
Speaker C:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker C:Women raise us.
Speaker B:I would be the worst first of all.
Speaker B:Nine months of no drinking.
Speaker B:My baby's getting messed up.
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker C:Oh, no.
Speaker A:I think you have the last question.
Speaker B:Okay, so here's the last question.
Speaker B:Finish this sentence.
Speaker B:Every good barber should know that.
Speaker C:Every barber should know that.
Speaker B:Every good barber should know that.
Speaker C:Keep your station clean.
Speaker B:That's true.
Speaker C:Every good barber should know.
Speaker D:That.
Speaker D:It's just hair.
Speaker D:It's just hair.
Speaker D:We're not saving lives.
Speaker D:We do the best that we can, and we hope that communicates to the client.
Speaker D:And the hair grows.
Speaker B:Yeah, I like that.
Speaker C:Beautiful, for me is.
Speaker C:It's a little more like.
Speaker C:I feel.
Speaker C:I know you're gonna think I'm crazy, but, like, I feel like every.
Speaker C:Every good barber should know that.
Speaker C:It's a sacred thing.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:It's like, in a way, you know, it's just care, too, but it's also like the crown.
Speaker D:It is a very intimate experience.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Like, not a lot of people get their head touched.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:You're touching someone's head, and you're also, like, you're taking care of them.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:So, like, I'm very motherly.
Speaker C:You know, I'm nurturing.
Speaker C:I'm a cancer.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So I.
Speaker C:And I also, like, I believe in energy, and I feel like.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like, when you're cutting someone's hair, it's like, you know, it's a sacred thing.
Speaker C:I. I view it that way.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Also with the beauty aspect, but it is.
Speaker C:It's like.
Speaker C:It's an energy exchange, you know, it's like you're taking stuff off them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, actually, like, a lot of weight off to, like.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I think that's why you feel good after a haircut, because you, like, shed that energy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:What else?
Speaker C:You relax.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:Like, getting your hair, like, kind of touched and that.
Speaker C:That has, like, a relaxing vibe.
Speaker B:You're shaping someone's first impression.
Speaker B:That's theoretically, because a lot of people, especially during the summertime, a lot of people, they come in on a Friday, baby, they say, it's hot, girl, summer.
Speaker B:I'm about to go out to the Kiki, and I'm gonna look fresh.
Speaker B:Bodies are hard in Hell's Kitchen and in New York General to get a haircut.
Speaker B:If you're looking for a haircut without an appointment on Friday, honey, stay home.
Speaker B:Stay home.
Speaker B:Go out and do it on Saturday morning when the girls are asleep.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:Yeah, it'll be all right.
Speaker B:It's just hair.
Speaker A:It's just hair.
Speaker B:But you might want Julia's hair.
Speaker B:You might want your look, though.
Speaker B:You never know.
Speaker D:But it does help.
Speaker B:It helps.
Speaker D:It helps.
Speaker C:It helps.
Speaker C:It help.
Speaker B:It helps.
Speaker B:You don't see people putting on crusty ass wigs to go out.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker B:Well.
Speaker B:Well, this has been a lot of fun.
Speaker B:Is there any last thoughts that you have for, you know, your clients, future clients, if you ever want to look back on this interview again.
Speaker B:Any last thoughts?
Speaker D:Thank you for trusting us with your hair.
Speaker D:It's a very vulnerable state, but we welcome you every time and we hope to keep serving you.
Speaker C:Yeah, the same.
Speaker C:I just want to thank all our clients, you know, the ones that are with us, the ones that are coming.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I feel like this space is for everyone, you know what I mean?
Speaker C:That's the other thing.
Speaker C:I feel like this is your home away from home too, you know, as a space that we created for our community.
Speaker C:You know, in my dream, like, I always have the dream, like, the guys will meet here.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like a love story.
Speaker C:I have a love story.
Speaker C:I do.
Speaker A:That is yours too.
Speaker C:That's kind of my story too, though, because I met my partner at the barbershop.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker C:He came in as a client to one of the other barbers that I work with, but now he's my husband.
Speaker B:You better flash that right with the diamonds, right to the camera, like, ow.
Speaker C:But like, to.
Speaker C:To be honest, when I did start the shop, I was hoping, I was like, this is a great place for like, guys to meet, like another guy, you know, like, while they're getting a haircut.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Because that's the magic of.
Speaker C:You know what I mean?
Speaker C:It's just like, it's a good space, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:Because whenever I go to the straight barbershop, well, I don't go there no more.
Speaker B:But I used to have to like, like, remove my eyes because you know how, like when you turn the.
Speaker B:Barbara turns the chair and like the mirrors, depending on how their face, you can lock eyes with someone.
Speaker B:I'm like, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Honestly, the last time I went to a barbershop, the last time I went to a barbershop, I just needed to get like a shape up.
Speaker A:But it was the other way around, honey.
Speaker A:He was like.
Speaker D:He was shaping you up.
Speaker A:He was like, let me make sure.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:Let me make sure, like, I get your number and you can, you know, we can make appointments.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:For any appointments.
Speaker A:Any type of appointment in the future.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Any type of appointment.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:I was just like, ooh, wee.
Speaker A:Okay, girl.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Where can everyone follow you and talk about your locations?
Speaker D:So we have two permanent locations.
Speaker D:One in Chelsea, 20th and 8th.
Speaker D:And Hell's Kitchen, 46th and 9th.
Speaker D:And you can find us at Goodhead, NYC.
Speaker D:Our social's the same way.
Speaker D:Goodhead, NYC.
Speaker D:Follow us on Twitter, follow us on TikTok.
Speaker D:And pretty soon we'll be in YouTube as well.
Speaker D:But follow us.
Speaker D:Goodhead, NYC.
Speaker B:There we go.
Speaker A:I think that's it.
Speaker B:That is it.
Speaker B:You have been watching, listening and subscribing to just press play with Elle and Trey.
Speaker B:And we thank you both so much for being a part of our show, being part of this episode, continuously making our community beautiful.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's it.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:Stay tuned.
Speaker A:Next week, we'll have something for y'.
Speaker B:All.
Speaker A:We're doing Cuffin season.
Speaker A:We're doing Christmas specials.
Speaker A:We're doing other things that you need to be around for.
Speaker B:And if you'd like to see your business or your establishment, like Good Head was on today, then you just let us know.
Speaker A:Hit us up.
Speaker B:We need sponsors.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:You need the money.
Speaker B:But until then, we'll see you soon.
Speaker B:And stop.
