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5th Anniversary Spirit Week

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In August and early September of 2014, Natalie and Tyler Anderson were repeating a mantra: “If we can get the doors open, it’s going to work.” With two barbers, a 6-year-old and no additional staff, we knew good haircuts would be enough to sustain this little shop.

 

Then the wildling onslaught began, great hairy men in need of transformation, and by the first weekend we brought on Colin the OG Shopkeep. Before long, the hunt was on for barbers, support staff, and people to run the massive machinery behind this big old circus.

Now, closing in on year five, the child is entering middle school, and 14 people work here, 10 of them barbers. Also, 60,000 individual heads have been in our chairs. It has been the ride of our lives.

To thank you for the soon-to-be five years of good times and support we’re hosting a whole WEEK of fun shenanigans for you all to enjoy, and an abundance of daily raffles!

Here be all of the deets.

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A New Age at Beardsgaard

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When we signed our first 5-year lease on this place, with a grand total of 2 employees (which were just us, Natalie and Tyler), we had no idea if we would make it this far. What new business owner does?


Now here we are, having signed for another five years, not only here, but on the space next door, because there is a second business now. 14 people work here right now, and we just ran a report that tells us that 60,000 individuals have received hair or beard services in these hallowed halls. It has truly blown our minds into a thin goo.

Long story short, those of us who have been here since the beginning or very near could never keep up cutting all the heads ourselves, so we had two choices: work around the clock, or clone ourselves. We got as close as we could to the latter, by way of training an army of barbers of Beardsgaard.
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The Dads of Beardsgaard Collections

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Our clients range from young to old, hairy, bald, male, female, non-binary, the whole range, so long as you keep your hair on the short side, we cut you. Even so, if we had to pick one characteristic that unites a heck of a lot of our clients, it’s dad-dom. Even the ones that aren’t bio dads (or dudes, for that matter) usually have at least a pack of nieces and nephews trying to climb them.

A thing that most dads have in common is that they’re friggin impossible to buy for. That’s why you have us. As barbers, and barbers in this shop specifically, we know what dads are digging these days.

A few dads we had lying around happened to represent the full spectrum of fatherhood – in hair quantities and offspring ages both. We polled them to gather a collection of their favorite goods of the realm. Shop their collections below.

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Full Crew Full Hearts (Again)

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A few years ago, Beardsgaard found itself in the position of bringing on five new staff members at the same time. Three were barbers from around the country, one local barber, and if memory serves, at least one Shopkeep.

In an industry where there are not enough barbers to go around, we had somehow found ourselves with enough to fill the chairs, and all was well. Years down the road, we finally got to expand to five chairs, which we never could have imagined when we first put this shop together. It was time to fill the place up again.

No, we did not adopt a goat. This is our contractor’s goat. We were just borrowing it.

Now that’s done, but much like the last time we expanded quickly, it is a feat to onboard this many new people at once.

While last time three of the four new barbers were long experienced and all were fully licensed, only two of the four new barbers to start since the beginning of the year are – the other two are incredibly promising barber student interns who may already be familiar to long time visitors to the Realm. There is also another Shopkeep, because of course there is.

Meet them all below. We’re working on all the new About Pages, it’s going to take a minute.

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The Times (and prices) They Are A-Changin’

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Time goes by so fast. It seems like just yesterday we were opening our doors with just two barbers and also that many total employees. In the first year we settled our haircut prices in at $24, and have only gotten around to raising those prices by a dollar since.

In that time, rent has gone up a couple of times, as have general costs all over. Such is the world. With this in mind, the time has come for our prices to buoy to the actual costs of the day. As of July 1st, 2019 a few of our prices will increase.

 

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Aaaaand We’re Hiring Again

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The Shopkeeps at Beardsgaard are the keepers of the shop. They man the cockpit, pilot the day, and are the difference between a shop that flows like melted butter, and a big hot mess.

Shopkeeps are, without fail, clever, kind, personable people. Midwestern hospitality is part of their very soul, no matter where they’re from. They cannot stop extolling the virtues of the things they love, whether it is their favorite TV show or hair product.

They can read a room, knowing when to step up and bolster the shop banter, and when to fade back and let the music do the talking. They expertly manage client expectations and take the lead in shop communication.

They know how to keep a dozen metaphorical plates spinning at the right speeds without letting a single one drop. They identify and solve problems before they have a chance to happen. Panic is not in their vocabulary.

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A Great Big Cut-A-Thon

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Realm, this is the biggest thing to happen to Beardsgaard since we built it. Somehow, there are even more permits involved this time. And demolition starts Sunday, March 3rd.

 

Which is also the day our Indiegogo campaign wraps up! Not to put all eggs in a single basket, however, we have been fundraising on many fronts – Indiegogo of course, the Expansion Pack event last fall, and for the final hurrah, a great big (YouTube) livestreamed Cut-A-Thon on Saturday, March 2nd from 6 PM to midnight!

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The Key to Their Heart • Valentine Gift Guide

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One of the best things about being in love is finding the routines and rhythms of life that work for you.

Our Valentine’s Day collection is stocked with items that become part of that thoughtful regular routine, and make that special someone want to get a little closer. Because when you look, smell and feel as good as this collection will make you, how could they help it?

Find the key to your grooming routine and maybe their hearts, right here.

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The Great Expansion Fundraiser

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Saying no is so hard. Especially in the service industry. So when people ask to book an appointment for a haircut and beard trim a month from now and we have to say no because we’re full, it truly does pain us in our souls.

Yes, it’s a good problem to have. But it still results in disappointed clients, and if we have a solution to make it better, we are going to give it our all to make it happen.

So let’s add room for another few thousand butts in the chair each year, shall we?

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