Lox Salon owner Brynn Gonzalez celebrated the thirteenth anniversary of her successful Old City business by opening a new part of the business: the Lox Barbershop. With demand growing at the salon, she wanted to offer male clients a personalized experience of their own. Long interested in leasing the space beneath her salon, she signed a lease and opened the barbershop downstairs at 103 West Jackson Avenue on September 13th this year.
“I love cutting hair. It’s my art. The relationship with clients and getting to know them is what I enjoy most.” She’s currently spending about half of her time downstairs in the barbershop and is enjoying stepping back to a chair for a larger share of her time. She says the space reminds her of the first Lox location and she enjoys that. “It feels like a man cave or a speakeasy,” she says, and that’s intentional.
A recent change in Tennessee law made opening the new business easier. Cosmetologists with at least five years of experience are allowed to get additional training and then test to get a certification as a barber. Brynn plans to hire a barber for other employees to train under as they pursue their certification. Like the salon upstairs, the products are ethically produced and vegan, and she “recycles everything.”
The business upstairs offers the gamut of cosmetology services: cut, color, hair and lash extensions, and nails. The clientele is a somewhat even mixture of genders, and Brynn feels male clients are often looking to get their hair cut, or other services, as quickly as possible, more so, relative to her female clients.
With that in mind, patrons of the barbershop can get an excellent cut, but get it quickly, and without the fringe services of a shampoo, for example, for a reduced rate. The other services are available to anyone who wants them. The focus on working a bit more quickly seems to be appreciated. She said Saturdays and evenings have been particularly busy.
Brynn is looking to hire two barbers and she’s planning to add more services for those who want them, such as facials for men. She’s also got a stock of adult beverages for customers to relax with while they wait. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are accepted. The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. into the early evening.