Monarch Barbershop

OUR ARTICLE

It’s always important to keep your head on a swivel and up-away from your phone when out cruising the streets. Views will be missed, unique moments unnoticed, and life will heedlessly pass you by. And then there is Monarch, assembled for the right onlooker, where respect of the craft is demanded from the etched streetside windows. The king and queen stand frosted at the doorway, offering judgment over their court as you walk through the door. Pull your tail out from between your legs, as the royals are not meant to deter your curiosity, they are intended to invoke a passion for the well groomed. The intent is to leave Monarch feeling like the king, not the jester.

The walls are tattered with antiqued gold frames housing photos of Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson and other “kings” of their time, leading you to the salient lounge.

There isn’t a castle door entrance, but after entering Monarch, the king’s court is striped with razor-sharp b&w lines further accentuating off-white hexagonal floor tiles and five boldly black and steel pomps. The chairs are partnered by dark wood work stations, each well equipped with tools of the trade – strategically placed in the upright and locked position. Above the weathered counters hang mirrors like any barbershop, but at Monarch, they are framed in gold. Everything is where it needs to be – perfectly poised.

Monarch Barbershop is an establishment of authority and shear control. This is not an Edward Scissorhands, cost cutting, sport clipping type of shop. From the throne, the rustic luminescents highlight some of the greatest ever to enter the squared circle. The walls are tattered with antiqued gold frames housing photos of Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson and other “kings” of their time, leading you to the salient lounge. Modernized chic chairs and the perfectly hued couch focus attention to two towering bookcases and an elegantly stocked bar cart. The room is intended to be a place to kick back and relax, to chum up a conversation and take a moment to escape from the outside world. And if you’re looking for some light reading to pass the time, the shelves are filled with Encyclopedia Britannica (you’ll have to open them up to see if Pluto is defined as a planet or not) alongside a collection of ornate Funkos. Every bit of Monarch is truly detailed towards royalty.

Monarch protrudes refined style and craftsmanship, and above all else, the crew of master barbers invites you to join their family. It’s not a place you run into for a seven dollar buzz cut, only to forget your barber’s name. Monarch is a place of long-lasting friendship and trust in your appearance.