SHELBY – Damien Beauford’s clientele is growing. The owner of the 419 Barbershop decided it was time to expand and grow with it, opening a new site in Shelby.
Beauford stood Wednesday with his daughter; employees Taylor Brinker, Olivia Marshall and Kelli Rank; Shelby Mayor Steve Schag; and members of the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development to celebrate his new storefront at 26 W. Main St. with a ribbon cutting.
“We want to thank Damien for investing in Shelby,” Schag said. “I’m always thrilled and excited when someone says they want to plant their feet in the City of Shelby and invest here.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Jessica Gribben, economic development director for Northern Richland County and the City of Shelby, who said she remembered when Beauford first started looking for property in Shelby.
“I’m glad you finally made it onto Main Street,” Gribben said. “It’s great to have a vibrant and youthful shop right here on the main drag, so thank you for your investment and thank you from Shelby.”
Jennifer Wagner, member services coordinator for the Richland Area Chamber, congratulated Beauford on behalf of the organization.
“You (Beauford) are a success story in the making.”
jennifer wagner, richland area chamber member services coordinator
“We can’t wait to see what else you have going on,” she said.
Beauford, 36, now owns barber shop locations in Ashland, Mansfield and Shelby.
FLASHBACK TO 419 Barbershop mansfield opening
“I’m super grateful that we were able to get a team of people over here in Shelby,” he said. “Without them it just wouldn’t be possible.”
Finding a good group of people to hire as employees was the most important part of the process to open a new storefront, Beauford said.
“We’re a family,” he said. “We approach business that way, with shared responsibilities and we look out for each other.”
The full-service barbershop has three full-time employees, Brinker, Marshall and Rank. Clients can choose from services such as haircuts, beard trims, facials, and straight-razor shaves, among other offerings.
Beauford said that Rank really took initiative in the new location, doing almost everything to get the shop ready for business, including installing the shelves, painting the walls, cleaning the floors and decorating the shop.
“I wanted it to feel more like a place where you can just come in and relax,” Rank said. “We like that our shop chairs face our waiting area, that way everyone can communicate, hangout, have a good time and get a great haircut.”
Rank, a 2014 graduate of Madison High School, said she appreciated the community taking them with open arms and being so welcoming.
“It’s truly been a blessing,” she said. “We’ve appreciated every single person who’s walked through that door.”
As the business has continued to expand, Beauford said it’s been good to see how many families the growth has impacted, not just the clients, but providing a job for employees to work and provide for their families.
“We take pride in being a place that can build up a family and help people be business owners if they ever want to,” he said.
“That’s just the approach we take,” he said. “It’s the most rewarding part, seeing that they have a solid place to provide for their families.”
Beauford said the growth in shop clients was beginning to span as far as Willard and Norwalk, and that some would drive more than an hour to reach either the Mansfield or Ashland location.
“When we were just one location, we were stretched thin,” he said. “We saw that the need was great, so it just made sense to be here (Shelby).”
The shop is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Appointments can be booked online or by phone at (419)-295-5224.