Walk into Bartow’s Barbershop and you’ll think you’ve time-traveled back to the 1950s.
Owner Erik Bartow loves 50s nostalgia and has decorated his shop totally with antiques from yesteryear — including the barber chairs. “We even have a 1941 fridge that we keep stocked with old-time sodas in bottles,” said Erik.
Erik, who was renting a shop in Tempe, recently bought the former barber shop at the northwest corner of McKellips and Recker roads “mid-pandemic,” he explained. “This shop came up for sale, and since I live in Mesa, I thought it would be a great move.”
“I consider myself a traditional, old-school barber — like the kind we all knew as kids. We do straight razor and hot lather shaves, beard trims, and haircut styles from conservative to buzz cuts. We are family-friendly and intend to get involved with our local community. It’s a family affair here with my wife, Raven, and our three kids helping out.”
Erik has been a barber for over a decade and learned his trade at Success Barber College in Chicago, an offshoot of the renowned A.B. Moler College. (Moler devised a method of training that led to the founding of the Moler System of Barber Colleges in 1893 in Chicago, and are now in most major U.S. cities.)
After working for several years in Chicago, Erik moved to Tempe in 2016. With his new shop just recently opened, Erik says they follow all the health guidelines. “Actually, barbering is one of the most sanitary professions,” he claims, “because everything is promptly sanitized after each use. In addition, chairs and other surfaces are cleaned after each client.”
“Most of our clients right now are appointment-based, but we can take walk-ins if it’s slow, so there are only a few people in the shop at a time,” he said.
“We have an experienced staff here, but we keep our prices affordable,” Erik explained. “Haircuts are $20 and only $15 for seniors. We would love to have our neighbors stop in for a haircut or a shave, or just to enjoy our antique collection.”
Bartow’s Barbershop is located at 6032 E. McKellips Road, Unit 2. You can make an appointment by calling (480) 985-0080, or book online at bartowsbarbershop.com.