Culture shock in New York
· Updated: · 3 min read
Often copied, but never equalled – that’s the motto of Eric:Barbier. Yet owner Anthony Stölting is more than happy to share his knowledge of this time-honoured craft. However, even he was left speechless by a trip to a men’s barbershop in New York.
“When I received the first email from Yuri and Eddi, I thought it was a joke and ignored it,” says Anthony, laughing heartily. The content seemed too crazy: two barbers from New York had discovered his website and wanted to fly him to the US to exchange ideas on the art of shaving. It was only when the second email landed in his inbox that Anthony stopped thinking it was spam and replied. The conversation continued on Facebook, and shortly afterwards he was on a plane heading for the Big Apple.
No rest in the city that never sleeps
No sooner had he arrived in the States than the Hamburg native made his way to the “Gotham City Barbershop” on 57th Street. Upon entering the salon on the bustling main road in Manhattan, Anthony was in for a nasty surprise: instead of a warm welcome, the guest was given the cold shoulder. “I was left standing there for a while until, eventually, an employee took pity on me and asked what I wanted. That’s simply not on, of course.” Once the guest had identified himself, the atmosphere changed abruptly, but the working methods of his American colleagues could only partially make up for that first impression.
As he observed the US barbers, Anthony’s brow furrowed on more than one occasion: staff who went straight from their smoking break to shaving the next customer without washing their hands; cold shaving foam from a can and unnatural-looking hairstyles “like Playmobil figures” due to heavy styling and the use of clippers instead of scissors led to mixed feedback. “I expected a lot from the Americans and imagined barbers of the highest calibre. But basically, almost everything needed improving, from the workflows to the maintenance of the equipment.”
Role reversal in Manhattan
Shop owners Yuri and Eddi were apparently not prepared for their colleague’s harsh judgement, which is why they spontaneously agreed to put it to the test: Anthony was to take over the next shave and prove that his approach would be better received. No sooner said than done: “Just as we do back in Germany, I gave the customer comprehensive advice, whipped up some fresh shaving foam and let it take effect. I also started by using warm compresses and beard oil.” It was well worth the master barber taking his tools with him on the journey of over 6,000 kilometres just for this practical demonstration. The verdict from the “guinea pig” in the barber’s chair was not long in coming: “Wow, do it exactly the same way next time.”
Has the way of working at the “Gotham City Barbershop” changed permanently following his visit? “I hope they still do it that way today. But it’s hard to internalise new procedures,” says Anthony. He is still in touch with Yuri and Eddi, and they regularly exchange views on the business. Incidentally, the Hamburg native didn’t spend his second day in the metropolis on a typical sightseeing tour: instead of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and Times Square, the plan was to visit more barbershops before heading back to Hamburg.
