Haircare retailers, barbers connect with public at Black Comb event

By Drew Crawford | [email protected]

In many cities, small businesses worry about the competition that they face. This threat though is not something encountered by the men’s hair and beard industry here in the Salt Lake valley. 

On Nov. 8, Black Comb and Barberhaüs hosted “Barber, Beard & Brew” at Hopkins Brewing Co. in South Salt Lake to offer guidance on how to market hair and beard products using social media. 

The event included vendors from various companies that set up tables where the public could browse their products and educate themselves on best care practices. Items for sale included beard oils, soaps, and skin-care products. 

For the participating businesses, it presented an opportunity to network among each other and share business ideas. 

“We all kind of work together in some way or another. That’s kind of what we started our business on is collaborating with other local businesses,” said Derek Williamson, owner of Olio Skin & Beard Co.  

Williamson says that the hair and beard product market in Salt Lake is well-connected and that Black Comb offers him an opportunity to turn his attention toward making products that he is passionate about.

“They are a very unique idea: selling to barber shops and barbers that really can’t afford to bring in their own product is a huge, huge thing in the industry,” Williamson said. 

“As far as I know they are the only ones doing it. For a company like us to get behind Black Comb and support that movement honestly puts us to work making what we love to make,” he said.

Eric Stone, the owner of The Salt Lake Barber Company, said that the purpose of events like this is to foster education in the community and bring people together in the industry. 

“We want to come together and be able to produce and give our education out to other barbers. Especially with what Black Comb is doing tonight, being able to do this for the community,” Stone said. “I think they are one of the few places that have done things for the community outside of our industry which is amazing with having Olio and Proper Hemp here along with their product.”

The connection that exists between the barbers and their customers creates an avenue for a unique delivery of services.

Brennon Flannery, one of the founders of Black Comb, said that they are rolling out a social media function where the barbers can reach their audience on its social media page and sell products like they do on site. 

By spending their effort on selling hair products for the barbers, it frees up time for them to cut hair. 

“A lot of times barbers don’t have a sales license in order to sell their own products,” Flannery said. “A lot of barbers just want to cut hair. It’s almost an art to them. They don’t want to deal with the business aspect.”

Barbers and vendors are anxious to see how opportunities like this can help to connect them and their customers together through specialization.