Innovative Barber Stop kiosk takes haircuts back to basics

Brian West, owner of Brian’s Barber Stop, stands near the entrance of his kiosk-size shop inside the Thiesen’s Home Farm Auto in Maquoketa, Iowa. (Kevin E. Schmidt/Quad-City Times)

By Doug Schorpp | Saturday, February 09, 2008
Quad City Times

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Brian West wants a piece of the cut.

The Ohio native, who spent three years at a Davenport hair salon, now is owner and operator of a new type of barber shop that its creator hopes will sweep the nation.

With this model, gone are the Mayberry-esque days of Goober, Barney and Andy sitting around jawing at Floyd’s Barber Shop.

In Brian’s Barber Stop in this Jackson County community, there is just enough room for West and a customer. Rather than a shop with the traditional twirling pole outside, the structure takes up just 50 square feet and is located inside Thiesen’s Home Farm Auto.

“It’s a self-contained barber shop. The barber pole was constructed in North Dakota,” said West, who opened the business in November and recently moved to Maquoketa from Davenport.

“It’s the old general store concept,” he said. “People are able to get three or four things done at the same time as when they go for a haircut. It is an awesome idea. A lot of farmers shop two or three times a week.”

Farmers and other shoppers may not feel that they have time to make a special stop for a haircut, but they may be more likely to get it done if the barber is located in the place they frequent, West said. Thiesen’s carries items ranging from farm and automotive supplies, to clothing, to housewares, to sports equipment and home improvement needs.

West said the kiosk — made of Plexiglass with barber stripes on the side — is easy to assemble. Barber and customer are inside the barber pole.

Brian’s Barber Stop is only the fourth Barber Stop in the nation and the first in Iowa.

It was the brainchild of Everette Blaisdell. In April 1997, the veteran barber had just seen downtown Grand Forks, N.D., devastated by fire and floodwaters. Blaisdell had to find another location for his shop, so a used car dealer offered him space. The only catch was the “space” was the little-used women’s bathroom.

His regular customers slowly returned and he soon came to realize the small space had no effect on his ability to cut hair and provide a quality level of service. He began to wonder how he could transform a small space into an attractive kiosk for placement in a high-traffic location and came up with the Barber Stop concept. After writing a business plan and securing financing, he arranged for a Minnesota manufacturer to create the kiosk.

He now has his kiosk in a home improvement store in Grand Forks and his business has more than doubled.

“All this was created out of adversity. I can’t even believe I did that,” he said.

The Barber Stop is accepted in 33 states, including Iowa and Illinois.

“For the first time in a long, long time, a barber now can own a business in a high-traffic store without paying rent,” Blaisdell said. “The host (store) doesn’t have to pay for it and there is not any risk involved. People always buy something when they come in. It may be a little, but it adds up.”

The kiosk — including its white dome — stands 14 feet tall. The version at Thiesen’s in Maquoketa does not have a dome because the additional height would have interfered with the store’s sprinkler system.

There is no place to sit and wait for the barber chair to open, which Blaisdell said is the beauty of the concept. People waiting for hair cuts mill around the store and often wind up buying something.

And except for electricity — all that is needed is one 110-volt outlet — the Barber Stop requires no other utilities. It has a self-contained water system similar to what is used with an RV, he said.

Blaisdell is negotiating with Mid-States Distributing Co., which is a buying organization that serves home, farm and fleet retailers across North America. It is comprised of 52 independent retail chains including Thiesen’s and Farm & Fleet. He also is working with Home Depot, all with the purpose of creating more kiosks in those retail stores across the country.

Barber Stop Inc. began “cold-calling” Quad-City area barbers after the Thiesen’s store in Maquoketa agreed to put the barber kiosk there.

“I wanted to find a barber who would be interested in this type of venture,” he said. “I was told Brian would be a good candidate. He came up to the kiosk in Grand Forks to see it and loved it.

“He’s working in his own environment. He can operate his business the way he wants it.”

“It’s an old-fashioned barber feel,” West said. “I took a chance to risk it all, but I will gain a lot in the long run. It will take off like a rocket once this takes off.”

Doug Schorpp can be contacted at (563) 383-2292 or dschorpp@qctimes.com.

NEED A TRIM?

Brian’s Barber Stop is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Haircuts are on a walk-in basis and cost $11.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Barber Stop can contact the company's sales, marketing, distribution and financing arm - Barberz Zone Inc. at (701) 330-1169, or e-mail at rob@barberzzone.com or go to barberzzone.com.