Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Watkins.
Hi robert, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In 2014, I was immersed in the hardcore/indie music scenes, working in coffee, and going to school for photography. My friends and I all wanted a greaser/old fashioned haircut and a grooming product that was ethically sourced to get the shine and hold required for the look without relying on a big box store brand.
No one in our town could make the haircut happen and the drugstores all sold gels or heavy waxes, so I started cutting my own hair and making pomade in my kitchen with a friend. I set up a barber chair in the mailroom of a business in downtown Florence and The Mailroom Barber Co was born. I quit school & coffee and started an apprenticeship at a local barbershop. I learned a lot from YouTube and my apprenticeship, but in 2018 I received training in precision haircutting at Glassbox and it flipped my world upside down. I started teaching the techniques to my staff right away and in 2021 I completed a mentorship with Charlie Gray to begin teaching publicly.
I searched far and wide as a teenager for a career that would be fulfilling, creative, and make a difference. I feel so grateful to have found that path early in life through barbering.
today i own MAILROOM BARBER, a barbershop on e. north st alongside our grooming product line and online academy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
certainly not.
my direction has changed throughout the years.
early on i was obsessed with scaling the business and opened multiple locations. i quickly learned i had outgrown the rate of talent development in our area and i couldn’t staff the new locations so i started scaling back and closing the underperforming stores. two of those stores opened the week before covid lockdowns began. the first 9 weeks of their operation were completely closed with $0 in revenue.
we’ve had lots of side quests. for example, we had a venture into manufacturing products for a famous youtuber which exploded our business and turned it upside down. we had to tread water and scale our manufacturing by 100 times to meet demand only to run out of ingredient suppliers during covid and have to table the operation.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
i’ve been lucky to learn my craft from some of the best haircutters in the world. i’ve studied at sassoon academy in london which is mecca for someone in my trade. i practice precision haircutting which is a systematic approach devised by vidal sassoon in the 60s with the help of the old bauhaus masters. we are now part of a global movement in this style of haircutting with it’s epicenter in the UK
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
i employee 5 barbers and we are bringing on two apprentices in january.
Pricing:
- haircuts at our shop range from $45-100 based on experience and demand.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.themailroombarberco.com/pages/greenville-barbershop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themailroombarber/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mailroomacademy
