Conversations with Douglas Spradlin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas Spradlin.

Hi Douglas, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I graduated from cosmetology school in 2010. I was 30 and just starting my career. I began at Super Cuts, where I quickly got into management, taking classes where I could through the company. After a year and a half, I decided to move to a new company called The Hair Cuttery which had better-continuing education and pay. Still, in management, I learned what I could while managing a business.

2013 while working at The Hair Cuttery, I met my husband. He lived in San Francisco. After 9 months of a long-distance relationship and nightly calls via FaceTime, I decided to pick up and move to San Francisco to live with him. I was nervous about moving to a new city where I knew nobody, and the shop I wanted to work at was a booth rental that cost $1300/month.

In 2015, my boyfriend and I moved back to Kansas to be closer to his family. I started filling in for others but quickly got a complete time shift. I slowly built up a loyal clientele base and learned from some of the best barbers in SF. I honed my skills and even went into doing charitable work for the Gubio Project, cutting hair for homeless people at their St Boniface Church location.

I worked at a local barbershop in Lawrence for about eight months before opening my shop. Right before leaving there in 2016, Bernie Sanders had come to town to campaign for the presidential primary. He was making a public appearance downtown, walking on the sidewalk across the street from the shop I was working at. When I saw him, I immediately ran outside, yelled his name, and asked if he’d like a haircut. Amazingly, he said yes, came into the shop, and sat in my chair along with his secret service detail! I ended up being featured on the Rachel Maddow show that night, giving me plenty of free publicity to open my own business. The timing of this was just so lucky as I had already had most of my new business plans lined up and was ready to open in a couple of weeks.

I decided to avoid debt and build my business slowly, saving money and expanding wherever possible. I stayed at my original location for about 3.5 years and then took a leap of faith and moved my shop to a new site about 3x the size of my original spot. This allowed me to follow my dream and open a men’s grooming and lifestyle shop featuring local goods and regional artists’ work. My shop also sells men’s clothes, shoes, and other accessories, but even more, I’ve created a safe space for men to grow and learn about loving themselves. It starts with a haircut.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been lucky to minimize the struggles by growing slowly by myself and not over-extending myself by taking out loans or relying on others to work with at my shop. I am a one-person business and sole proprietor. When COVID happened, everything was up in the air, and my shop was closed for several months. This time was a very uncertain time for everyone, but easier for me to start back up and get back to “normal” because I was a solo person in the shop and didn’t have to worry too much about overcrowding and social distancing. I learned to place my clients on the schedule to ensure nobody was waiting or overlapping in the shop.

Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I specialize in men’s grooming. People know me as The Beard Mechanic, and my husband and I make our line of beard and skin care oils with our brand.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to slow down and be grateful for all the opportunities and clients that come to me for more than just a haircut.

Pricing:

• info at standardgroomingsupply.com

Contact Info:

• Website: standardgroomingsupply.com
• Instagram: @thebeardmechanic
• Facebook: @standardgroomingsupply