In the remote surf village of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where the jungle meets the ocean, sits ‘Blade & Bone Collective’; A unique store that is standing out to the world as the place to get your hair cut in Central America.
Cortney Evans, originally from Melbourne, first discovered Santa Teresa in 2014 while backpacking through Costa Rica, only to find that the village has incredible waves but no barbershop. It was also during this first visit that he met his future business partner, Del Monserrat, a Costa Rican / Australian artist.
From 2015 – 2018 Cortney cut hair in many locations around town, including under an almond tree next to a surf shop, from his patio with an endless view of the coast and beside a hotel swimming pool to name a few. Around mid 2018 Cortney and Esteban decided to join forces to create ‘Blade & Bone Collective’, an extension of their personalities, bringing together a high end barbershop, custom made jewelry, clothing, art and rebranded antiques. The store is truly unique, unlike anywhere else in the world, and a true cut above the rest for Costa Rica.
“It was a unique opportunity to have fall into your lap. To live in paradise and cultivate your industry, more or less from the ground up.” Cortney told us. “It did of course have its moments while setting up the shop. There is no high quality grooming products available in the country, so we literally have our product line flown in from the states. I remember trying to buy a UV towel warmer in Costa Rica and every supply store I went to just kept directing me to rice cookers.”
Since it’s opening in 2018, the ’Blade & Bone Collective’ store has attracted a lot of attention locally and internationally. “We are one of the only barbershops in Costa Rica, if not Central America, where you can speak English and trust that you will leave with the cut you wanted. People hear about us during their travels and save their hair to come see us when they pass through town, and others who know we exist will literally leave their own cities, travel to Santa Teresa with a haircut being one of their first day priorities.”
Blade and Bone Collective is bringing a level of quality in not only hair, but in everything they do. “As well as the barbershop, Esteban creates incredible one of a kind jewelry that goes out all over the world, and between us we have decades of DJing under our belts, so we are now producing our own events in town which are constantly growing.”
“There is something magical about the connections you make with your clients. For us we are so lucky to meet people from all over the globe everyday, with different stories, ideals, values, beliefs and of course hair. One thing that remains consistent throughout is that nearly everyone who comes into ‘Blade & Bone Collective’ has a genuine joy and appreciation for our work. As long as the waves keep pumping and the sun keeps shining, I can’t see my self doing this anywhere else.”
