The nearly 100-year-old storefront with striped barber’s pole fronts Davis Avenue off Broad Street. (BizSense file photo)
Two months after its scissors went silent, a longtime Richmond barbershop is back in business with a new operator.
The century-old William Byrd Hotel Barber Shop reopened two weeks ago after shuttering in late October.
The temporary closure was due to a change in operators after the previous leaseholders opted not to renew their lease. The closure allowed time for Epoch Properties, the high-rise building’s property manager, to line up a new proprietor.
Running the shop now is Sean Trembley, a barber relocating to Richmond after four years cutting hair in Williamsburg and Norfolk.
Sean Trembley
Trembley, 52, said he was looking for places to work in Richmond when he came across an ad in early November seeking a new operator for the William Byrd shop.
“I wanted to find an old-fashioned, old-school barbershop to work in – just an honest, no-gimmick, good old-fashioned barbershop,” he said. “I found this place advertised, and I came by and took a look. It’s got history, it’s almost 100 years old – it’s exactly the kind of place I wanted to work in.”
After making inquiries with Kim Adams, the building’s general manager, Trembley said he connected with Epoch’s Matt DeWorken and signed a lease Dec. 6. He declined to disclose the length and other terms of the lease.
Trembley said the lease is his first venture as a business owner, and he’s rehired three of the barbers who worked at the shop before, including Ivona Preisner, who has cut hair there for nearly 20 years.
Ivona Preisner, right, was rehired along with two other barbers who previously worked at the shop. (Photo courtesy Sean Trembley)
Trembley said he’s seeking a fifth barber and will keep the same format for the shop, operating Tuesdays through Saturdays with doors open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Since reopening the week before Christmas, Trembley said the shop has been busy and welcoming back longtime customers.
“We’ve got people that have been anxious to get the shop open. They’ve been coming here for generations,” he said. “I just cut a guy’s hair who’s been getting his hair cut here for 60 years. We’ve got a lot of people that are excited to have the place open again.”
Housed in the base of the former hotel across from the Science Museum of Virginia, the William Byrd barbershop dates to the hotel’s opening in 1925. The 11-story building now houses senior apartments after a conversion by William Byrd Hotel Associates, an entity made up of the Virginia Community Development Corp. and housing nonprofit Project:Homes that also owns and leases the barbershop.
The 11-story former hotel across from the Science Museum of Virginia is now senior apartments. (BizSense file photo)
The shop was previously operated by Bill and Denise Robertson, who run Brovado Barbershop in Midlothian. Bill said in October they elected to not renew their lease after a year because of personal reasons and economic factors that were requiring them to focus on Brovado.
Changes in operators have closed the William Byrd barbershop before, including for a time after the departure of Joanne Williams, who took it on after longtime barber William “Willie” Carlton.
Carlton, who owned the shop from 1960 to 1995, had worked there since 1948 and continued to up until his death in 2013. Former governors Tim Kaine and Terry McAuliffe were among Carlton’s and the barbershop’s clients over the years.
The nearly 100-year-old storefront with striped barber’s pole fronts Davis Avenue off Broad Street. (BizSense file photo)
Two months after its scissors went silent, a longtime Richmond barbershop is back in business with a new operator.
The century-old William Byrd Hotel Barber Shop reopened two weeks ago after shuttering in late October.
The temporary closure was due to a change in operators after the previous leaseholders opted not to renew their lease. The closure allowed time for Epoch Properties, the high-rise building’s property manager, to line up a new proprietor.
Running the shop now is Sean Trembley, a barber relocating to Richmond after four years cutting hair in Williamsburg and Norfolk.
Sean Trembley
Trembley, 52, said he was looking for places to work in Richmond when he came across an ad in early November seeking a new operator for the William Byrd shop.
“I wanted to find an old-fashioned, old-school barbershop to work in – just an honest, no-gimmick, good old-fashioned barbershop,” he said. “I found this place advertised, and I came by and took a look. It’s got history, it’s almost 100 years old – it’s exactly the kind of place I wanted to work in.”
After making inquiries with Kim Adams, the building’s general manager, Trembley said he connected with Epoch’s Matt DeWorken and signed a lease Dec. 6. He declined to disclose the length and other terms of the lease.
Trembley said the lease is his first venture as a business owner, and he’s rehired three of the barbers who worked at the shop before, including Ivona Preisner, who has cut hair there for nearly 20 years.
Ivona Preisner, right, was rehired along with two other barbers who previously worked at the shop. (Photo courtesy Sean Trembley)
Trembley said he’s seeking a fifth barber and will keep the same format for the shop, operating Tuesdays through Saturdays with doors open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Since reopening the week before Christmas, Trembley said the shop has been busy and welcoming back longtime customers.
“We’ve got people that have been anxious to get the shop open. They’ve been coming here for generations,” he said. “I just cut a guy’s hair who’s been getting his hair cut here for 60 years. We’ve got a lot of people that are excited to have the place open again.”
Housed in the base of the former hotel across from the Science Museum of Virginia, the William Byrd barbershop dates to the hotel’s opening in 1925. The 11-story building now houses senior apartments after a conversion by William Byrd Hotel Associates, an entity made up of the Virginia Community Development Corp. and housing nonprofit Project:Homes that also owns and leases the barbershop.
The 11-story former hotel across from the Science Museum of Virginia is now senior apartments. (BizSense file photo)
The shop was previously operated by Bill and Denise Robertson, who run Brovado Barbershop in Midlothian. Bill said in October they elected to not renew their lease after a year because of personal reasons and economic factors that were requiring them to focus on Brovado.
Changes in operators have closed the William Byrd barbershop before, including for a time after the departure of Joanne Williams, who took it on after longtime barber William “Willie” Carlton.
Carlton, who owned the shop from 1960 to 1995, had worked there since 1948 and continued to up until his death in 2013. Former governors Tim Kaine and Terry McAuliffe were among Carlton’s and the barbershop’s clients over the years.
A heartfelt Mazal Tov to Mr. Trembley and best wishes for great success! It’s VERY heartening to know that this iconic barber shop is reopening and will continue one of RVA’s great traditions. I’m 61 – and I’ve taken many many haircuts at the William Byrd over the years, as did my father (of blessed memory) before me.
This is, indeed, wonderful news to start 2024!
There is no shortage of barbershops around here who fashion themselves as “old school”. Yet much of this is windowdressing. Banter, tattoos, and other playful homages to a bygone era and nothing more. It is barbershop LARP. The men who cut my hair earned their tattoos in WWII. They knew you and your parents by name. They did not admonish longtime clients with threats of “missed appointment fees” if they even took appointments at all. All the best to this barber who will hopefully prioritize honoring the tradition over honoring ironic nostalgia.