Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie and Tyler Anderson.
If you’re going to open a barbershop, you need to be barbers and at the beginning of their marriage, only one of them was (Natalie). When Tyler decided to go to barber school and turned out to be great at it, they knew it was time to begin planning to open their own place.
When they did open, it was just the two of them and the Shop Kid Extraordinaire (their at the time 6-year-old). They soon brought on a front desk person and one other barber, and that’s the way it was for a good long time.
This year, they brought on multiple barbers from out of state, promoted one of out three desk staff to management, and the Beardsgaard army sits at a dozen strong.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It is a bit difficult to open a business where the primary type of person your staff must have a particular professional license in a climate where there is a massive shortage of people with said license (especially outside major cities). The biggest complaint from clients for the first two years was that we were booked three months out.
The other challenges were funding (we had a bit of saving, used 0 interest credit cards for the rest), no management or business operations experience, and for some time felt like we were inventing the wheel while we were driving.
We did eventually figure out what we were doing, at least by the time we brought on actual staff.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Beardsgaard Barbers – what should we know?
We are called Beardsgaard because we craft beards particularly well, not because it is all we do. Beards (and the shaving of them, a trait unique to barbers) are just the beginning. We often say, “whatever you do, do it well.” And that we do, for every client, every day, every time.
Our haircuts are old school barbering at its best. The classics that have always and will always make men look their best, executed with the traditional techniques passed down by generations of barbers.
The best barbershops provide more than just services, they offer true service, expertise, tools, guidance, a community center, a gathering space, and a place to feel at home (right down to the snuggly dog on the couch). We take pride in offering all that and more, complete with our very own line of handcrafted products, River Peak Apothecary.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Someone once said some of history’s best ideas are a sarcastic suggestion that someone took seriously. That is essentially our business plan. We actually don’t go on and on about the quality of the services here, as many shops do these days.
Our work speaks for itself in our copious portfolio images. What we do is simply make dudes look like their best selves, give them the tools and knowledge to feel like they have this hair thing handled. All in a place that was built for the nerds, weirdos, and misfit toys. It’s like Field of Dreams, but so, so much dorkier.
Pricing:
- Beard Fixin’ $12
- Haircuts $24
- Shaves $30
Contact Info:
- Address: 117 South Batavia Avenue
Batavia, Illinois 60510 - Website: http://www.beardsgaardbarbers.com/
- Phone: (630) 454-4820
- Email: shop@beardsgaardbarbers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardsgaardbarbers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeardsgaardBarbers/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Beardsgaard
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/beardsgaard-barbers-batavia
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDBVKeTbpDu67IYcZme2mMg
Image Credit:
Roberta Rae Photography + Design, Michael Barton
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
