When you swivel around in the comfy chairs at Final Cut Sports Barbershop, you’ll see flat-screen TVs hanging from the ceiling like a jumbotron. You’ll notice the gym benches in the center of the shop and the sports memorabilia plastered to the walls. But what you’ll feel is a sense of camaraderie, one built on a foundation of community and an insistence on inclusivity.
“Our purpose is to provide quality grooming services to men of all ages, hair types and backgrounds, in a convenient, inviting, friendly environment,” said Stephanie Warren, owner at Final Cut.
Our experienced barbers are well qualified to service a diverse clientele, delivering a style tailored to the individual’s image and personality.
We’re celebrating Beautiful May all month long at Mall of America®, and “beautiful” is an apt word for the culture the folks at Final Cut have cultivated. So I joined my coworkers Chris and Omar—all of us with completely different hair types—to talk about diversity in the barbershop while getting a fresh cut.
There’s Nothing Like a Good Haircut
Inside Final Cut, we paired up with our barbers: Omar with Dominic, Chris with Bobby, and myself with James.
From left to right: Tim and barber James; Chris and barber Bobby; Omar and barber Dominic
Chris immediately noticed the ways that Final Cut lives up to the purpose and mission that owners, husband and wife team Stephanie and Dominic, promote. He said that while people tend to gravitate towards barbers who look like them, Final Cut opened the door to the possibility of “trusting that the barber understands you and your personal style.”
“The hair-cutting professionals [at Final Cut] make it feel welcoming to people of all different backgrounds,” Chris said. “The barbers are trained and have experience nailing down any look.”
Next to Chris, Omar quickly hit it off with his barber, Dominic. Omar, who likes to give his barbers a lot of autonomy with his “crazy curly hair,” trusted in Dominic to make him look good.
“My request was pretty vague, so Dominic was really good about making sure I liked the choices he made with my hair,” Omar said. “I ended up with a unique and stylish haircut that I never had before.”
Meanwhile, I chatted with James while he began his artistry. Our looks were pretty different. James keeps his hair short and clean, and he has a magnificent beard. My hair tends to be longer and wavier but I’m still waiting for respectable facial hair to sprout (any day now!). James immediately knew what would work. He got started on what would end up being a fantastic haircut.
Around us, playful banter and laughter drowned out the sounds coming from the TVs overhead. Customers and barbers chatted in Arabic, Spanish, English. The six of us talked sports, made jokes, checked up on the progress of the others’ haircuts and got to know each other better.
“We ended up talking about how I, a Bolivian-American, turned out to love playing hockey,” Chris recalled. “It’s just a good vibe all around.”
The Final Product
There was no doubt when we finished that the haircuts had turned out just the way we wanted. But the experience at Final Cut was worth more than the haircuts themselves.
“It was fun and relaxing and very welcoming,” Omar said. “I would definitely recommend Final Cut to anyone looking for the freshest haircut in town.”
