IF YOU GO
WHAT: Bowtie Barber Club
WHERE: 13B High St., Oxford
PHONE: 513-280-6470
WEBSITE: www.bowtiebarberclub.com
FACEBOOK:
Keith Weiser’s “a-ha” moment came while sitting in a Nashville, Tenn., barbershop chair.
The Oxford native, who ended an 8-year baseball career with the Colorado Rockies organization in 2012, was invited by his barber to enjoy a straight-razor shave along with a scheduled haircut prior to a family celebration in 2013.
“That experience was so relaxing and felt like the good days when things used to be slowed down,” Weiser said. “The concept of what the old school barbershops were kind of fit with my background with team camaraderie.”
He opened Bowtie Barber Club in Nashville last year, then decided it was important to invest in his own community, as well, launching an Oxford location last Friday at 13B High St. on the second floor of the John D. Minnis Building.
Weiser has a wealth of first-hand knowledge when it comes to the look and feel of a traditional barbershop.
“My grandpa was a barber and his barbershop is the oldest one in Ohio,” he said of the Sayler Park business. “It’s up and running still.”
A graduate of Talawanda High School and Miami University, Weiser said Bowtie Barber Club is a “new barber shop with a classic feel,” one that concentrates on quality haircuts with attention to detail.
Each haircut and straight-razor shave lasts between 30 to 45 minutes and includes several hot steamed towels filled with essential oils
“It’s a very relaxing, calming experience,” Weiser said. “We focus on quality versus getting as many people as we can through that chair every day. That’s how we’ve built this thing in Nashville into being one of the top barbershops down there in a market that’s got a lot of them and we’ve done it in a short amount of time.”
Also available are scalp treatments, hot steamed towel facials and hair coloring options for men, including gray blending. Women are welcome, but the barbershop does not provide coloring options, Weiser said.
The main cutting room features four barbershop chairs with two barbers on staff and room for two more as the business grows.
Paying $10 a month to be a member allows customers $5 off a haircut and access to a private members lounge, one designed for hanging out on leather couches and recliners, enjoying free fresh-brewed coffee or root beer on tap and access to the shop’s free WiFi.
As far as getting to establish the business in his hometown after four years in Nashville, Weiser said he “couldn’t be happier.”
“It’s just incredible to be up here and to give back and bring such a unique and special thing that most people haven’t experienced … to just really see all the happy faces that come in and leave feeling relaxed and at their best,” he said.
About the Author
