SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Sean Aylward has a new space in Summerside for the Humble Barber and with it an opportunity to get back to the original vision he had for the business.
"We sort of outgrew the old space," said Aylward, who first opened the Summerside barber shop in 2015, and is also one of the barbers. "And, there's some changes in the business with people. So, it's just a good opportunity to hit the reset button and get back to how we built ourselves - more smaller, more personality in the shop, and truer to what we've always had for the vision of it."
The Humble Barber opened in its new space at 368 Water St. on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Previously, it was located down the road at 250 Water St.
Summerside location:
"It's been kind of really hectic and busy. I was working on the space until 9:30 p.m. on Monday after being in it all weekend, and then opened up at 10 a.m. on Tuesday," he said.
Aylward has also moved down to three barber chairs from four.
"It's funny. It's a smaller space, but we have more room - better layout," he said.
Aylward is also planning to apply for a liquor license to sell beer at the new spot, similar to the Humble Barber he also owns in Charlottetown on Kent Street.
"That is on the to-do list," he said.
Another aspect of the need to reset and revisit how he built the business was motivated by the impact of COVID-19 on business.
"I was really into growth, which is a good thing and really important to business. But it drained me a lot. It took me out of the shop more, too. I like cutting hair, so I intend to do a lot more cutting myself and less growth, and I guess the big thing is get back to a more comfortable environment," Aylward said.
"Four chairs, there was a lot of people around. There's tons of energy, which is nice. But the noise ceiling was really high, and you couldn't get those nice conversations and build up those good relationships as easily. And, that's what I missed. And over COVID, we really kind of remembered all those things and learned that - so part of the move is getting back to the old vision and what we used to do, what we grew out of and what we want to get back to."
Also during COVID-19 when the business, like most others, had to temporarily shut down in mid-March for a couple of months, Aylward was impressed by the support he received from customers in Summerside.
"As soon as we opened, people were really excited to get out and support us. Even when we were closed, I had clients messaging me just making sure everything was OK and offering to pre-pay for haircuts. I don't think that happens in a lot of other places," he said.
