What makes a great barber shop? We caught up with Jason Taylor, owner of East Hill Barber Shop and The Green Room to find out.
Today Jason’s second barber shop, The Green Room, opens for business. Located just down the road from his original shop, East Hill’s hair game just got even cooler.
The vibes when you walk into the Green Room immediately give you a feeling of nostalgia. The couches and interior styling are reminiscent of a Mad Men set — forest green walls, a mini bar with a selection of whiskeys and takeaway match books that pair with the aesthetic perfectly. It feels cool, upscale, and masculine, while also being understated and welcoming.
Jason will be the first to tell you though that the success of his businesses has little to do with what’s on the walls though.
”What dictates what you feel when you walk into a barbershop is the people that work in the barbershop, not necessarily what’s on the walls. If you have some easy going, laid back, fun people to be around, that’s the energy your shop will put out.” Jason Taylor, Owner of The Green Room.
If you’re familiar with East Hill, you know that Jason’s first barber shop is just up the road from his new business venture. What you might not know is that the close location was very much intentional. Jason worked for three years at a barber shop in San Diego called Lefties and it was there he saw the benefit of having multiple businesses in close proximity.
”Lefties was interesting because they had shops in close proximity to each other, and I thought that was a bad idea until I saw it work to their benefit. If we have a full schedule and we had an opening at the other shop, I get to tell my clients that a mile down the road, you can get the same quality, same type of environment and same type of people.” Taylor said.
There is no lack of talent when receiving a haircut from Jason either. Not only has Jason been a barber for 16 years, but his passion for cutting hair is generational and his clients are some of the most loyal ones.
”I got into barbering because my mom was a barber. When I was in the military I started messing around with it, and once I got out, I got my certificate and I thought it was something I would do for a year or so and that year turned into 16 years.” Taylor said.
His now landlord at The Green Room, Spencer Mullet, is also a long time friend and one of his most loyal clients. Taylor joked that he was surprised Spencer didn’t follow him out to San Diego when he was cutting hair out there.
Taylor let us in on one of his business success secrets. He told us that one of the most important pieces of the puzzle when opening a business or starting a new business venture is making sure you’re surrounding yourself with the right people. Whether they are your landlord or new hires, making sure they are good people and cut from the same cloth as you will set you up for success.
“One piece of advice I would give someone who is starting a new business is that if you align with people who have the same philosophy on life, you’re going to set yourself up for success. Your gut instinct is going to lead you in the right direction.” — Jason Taylor, Owner, The Green Room.
Thank you for catching up with us Jason and we look forward to watching your businesses grow and the great works and hair styles that will come out of them.
The Green Room is located at 905 N 12th Ave, Pensacola, FL and open Monday – Friday from 8am-5pm.
