When dear client/friend Brian Busch first mentioned that he was drawing up an homage to Bloody Bertus, one of our barber heroes and modern-day godfather of barbering, we were excited. When we saw the finished design, we were overcome with a desperate need to put it on a shirt.
When we got the shirts, we put together a little care package for the boys at Schorem (and a number of other shops we know and love, along with our logo T-shirts, stickers, a little note and assorted other goodies) and sent it out with our friendly neighborhood postman Larry. We couldn’t have predicted what happened next.
Schorem’s world-famous photographer Jelle Mollema took photos of Bertus in both shirts and sent them along to us. Then Brian’s head/our heads/our Facebook page EXPLODED.
We just wanted to send out a little #barberlove and certainly didn’t expect anything in return, but this experience did get us thinking.
We are living in a golden age of communication. Sure, it comes complete with trolls (so do some bridges, for the record), but social media now allows us to connect to a world of people we never could before.
But sometimes with all these electrical impulses flying to and fro across the globe, we miss out on some of the tangible, physical aspects of communicating.
As workers who touch our clients, barbers understand the power of the physical more than most. We also understand the importance of tradition better than most, practicing this craft that dates back millennium.
Although Instagram has connected us to great barbers, people and brands all over the world, this simple act of sending something in the mail and having someone else receive it on the other side is something that simply feels good. We think it should become a thing. So let’s make it one.
#socialgonepostal
Is there a barber or barbershop you want to get to know better? Of course there is, we barbers get to know folks like it’s our job. Because it is. So here’s your challenge:
Choose Your Target
But who, you ask? Anybody! It could be one of the industry big boys, an up-and-coming shop you have noticed and want to encourage, a far away compatriot you haven’t had a chance to meet in person yet, or just a shop you like.
Pack With Care
What should you include? Anything! We packed up some shirts (it pays to check people’s sizes before you send clothing), stickers, some of our co-branded beard combs, balms, oils and waxes from Merlin’s Beard, a personal note, and in Schorem’s case, a little extra gift.
Your care package needn’t be quite as stuffed, just a little gift of some sort related to your shop, your work, or even something your town in known for. The only thing really required is a note.
Make sure to tell them why they are receiving goodies, and ask if they would be so kind as to post a photo of themselves with the sendings to their social channels with the hashtag #socialgonepostal. And if they would like to, pay it forward!
Cut of the Week / Dwarf Beard