A barbershop is also a small editorial decision. Every record, every book on the counter, every magazine in the waiting area is a quiet vote for what the room is about. Here's what's in ours, and why.
Music
We rotate the vinyl every few weeks. Last month leaned mellow — Withers, Khruangbin, Sade. This month is warmer — Marvin, Anderson .Paak, Stevie deep cuts on Saturdays. Nothing programmed by an algorithm.
Books
A small shelf, slowly curated. A few photography books — Saul Leiter, Wim Wenders. A couple of design monographs. Some thin volumes guys actually pick up between chairs. We replace anything that gets too dusty.
References
Aimé Leon Dore, Kinfolk, the early years of Esquire, the visual restraint of Japanese hospitality. We don't try to be those things — we just keep them nearby as a reminder of the bar.
Why this matters
Our clients are mostly creative. They notice. The decisions we make about the room are part of the appointment, whether anyone says it out loud or not.
—SIR Management