Barber Shop Company opened its refurbished Browns Bay store in March this year with it’s location front of mind. Situated on the main drag in the Browns Bay town ship on Auckland’s North Shore, the stores bi-fold doors are a great way to engage passing shoppers.
W e caught up with Adam Johanson, CEO of Barber Shop Company to understand their thinking for this store.
“We were looking for a way to connect with the community as it walks by and we have not been disappointed. Almost everyone stops and has a look inside.”
The company has clearly thought of other ways to draw appeal. Installed is a well-concealed stereo system that plays a mix of tunes through it’s in house radio station, coined ‘Barber Shop Co Radio’ and the 3.7m oak table provides an informal waiting area for customers.
“We have tried to cover all the senses in designing our environment: the look and finish, providing a quality sound experience, placing aromatherapy candles appropriately and delivering a temperature controlled environment.”
There are plenty of authentic finishes engaged in this store, with selvedge wood paneling from old fishing boats, genuine subway tiling and internally lit product display units. The fittings are all custom made and solid wood, adding to the quality feel of the place.
“When we started this process we found that local shop fitting companies wanted to charge us alot for laminate finishes. Because we are building so many stores in a short period of time we are able to source and ship our own fittings directly from off shore manufacturers. That means our fittings are custom made, high quality and we can deliver this for a fraction of the cost we were quoted by traditional shop fitters.”
One of the assets of this store is clearly the location. Boasting high foot traffic and parking right out in front means it’s easily accessed. While we were there we watched the team leader, Danny working on the front cutting station & waving hello’s & making shout out’s to locals as they walk by. Clearly this is another asset of the store! If you’re ever in Browns Bay, Auckland make sure you drop in to this shop – We can confidently say that they’ll be glad to see you!
