THUNDER BAY – Customers at a Westfort barbershop will be able to pour one back when they go in for a cut.
The Barber Shop, located on Frederica Street, received a liquor licence last month and is now able to sell suds.
Owner Bryan Fresco said the idea of being able to provide his clientele with a beer is something he had been thinking about for 12 years.
“It creates a relaxing environment for a guy to come and relax, maybe after work or at lunch,” Fresco said, adding he has seen barbershops in southern Ontario have a similar concept.
“It’s somewhere a guy can relax and get a good haircut and maybe have a beer.”
Fresco said his is the only barbershop or salon in Thunder Bay to have a liquor licence, and the only one between Toronto and Winnipeg.
In less than 10 days since starting to sell beer on Nov. 26, Fresco said at least 30 customers have taken him up on the opportunity to buy a brew, though he made it clear it’s meant purely as an amenity for his customers.
“So far it’s been really good. A little bit of shock that a barbershop is being able to sell beer but I think the response has been really good,” Fresco said.
“This isn’t somewhere you’re going to come and get drunk. This is somewhere you’re going to come to relax and enjoy that beer.”
Later this week the barbershop chairs, original from when Fresco’s father first opened Armando's Barber Shop in 1961, will be modified when the ashtrays are removed and replaced with cup holders.
With a clientele base of more than 2,500 people, customers have come to expect to wait when they go in for a haircut or a shave.
Being able to sit back and enjoy a cold one while they wait should make the overall experience more enjoyable, Fresco said.
The Barber Shop’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down as Fresco’s services seem to be increasingly in demand.
“I’m starting to see a few new faces, guys I hadn’t seen before,” Fresco said. “I would say that it’s been after 4 p.m. when guys are getting off work and coming down to have a beer and getting a haircut after work.”
Fresco, whose brother John owns the adjacent Fresco’s Deli, also has an option for customers to grab a sandwich along with the haircut.
Working together only makes the area business community stronger, he said.
“I believe that with Westfort, once we get the customers down here we need to keep them down here and spread them out between all of our businesses,” Fresco said. “It will only benefit all of us. Partnering up and being a strong community is what makes us survive.”
