Adorned with antique barbershop memorabilia, including an old-fashioned swivel chair and spinning barber pole, Capital Barbershop on Scotch Road feels like a friendly neighborhood barbershop of the past, despite having opened only a few months ago.
Perhaps the newly made nostalgia is because owners Chris Jones and Marc Storaci have been in the business for several decades and stress the importance of traditional barbering techniques to their employees.
Jones, the retired Chairman of the state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling, has worked as a barber for 48 years. He opened The Barbershop of Hamilton in 1984. Storaci, a barber that Jones trained 18 years ago recently bought into the business, and the two expanded to a second location in Ocean County and a third in Ewing. Capital Barbershop, the Ewing location, had its grand opening in January.
“Ewing was a natural for us to explore with the population demographics. There are already a few existing barbershops but with the ongoing growth of the business community and new construction going on, we fit in nicely,” Jones said.
Capital Barbershop focuses on the traditional service of cutting male hair.
“We are strictly an old fashioned men and boy barbershop, the way a classical barbershop was intended to be,” Jones said.
While the shop does not turn away female clients, the barbers are honest with customers that they specialize in precision haircutting, and are not trained as stylists. It is important to Jones and Storaci that the barbers maintain this traditional skill.
“We train constantly, and hopefully it shows,” Jones said.
All of the staff members at Capital Barbershop have previously worked at either the Hamilton or Ocean County locations. Jones and Storaci are happy to have highly experienced barbers at this new shop.
“The employees at our Capital location have done a fantastic job of doing the kind of quality haircutting and service needed to grow the customer base quickly,” Jones said.
Nicole Carpenter worked as a barber for the company for seven years before Jones and Storaci asked her to manage the new shop when it opened.
“I love it. I started cutting hair in a small shop, and being back at a small shop is nice. You can be more personable with clients,” Carpenter said.
As for the décor, it is important to Jones and Storaci that the shop reflects the old fashioned atmosphere of barbershops of the past.
“Nostalgia is one of the things that most customers enjoy even if they don’t necessarily like antiques. It’s been a lot of fun for Marc and I to collect these things, and we get a lot of really nice comments on them,” Jones said.
A 6-foot barber pole was constructed for display in front of the shop, and staff members often stand outside next to the pole waving at cars that pass by.
“We just want to let everybody know that we’re open and, at the same time, offer them a neighborly wave and a smile,” Jones said.
Capital Barber Shop is located at 179 Scotch Road in the Scotch Road Plaza in Ewing. Customers can meet all of the barbers by visiting the company’s website tbsbarbershops.com. Phone: (609) 403-6147.
Manager Nicole Carpenter cuts hair of Leo Voorhees at Capital Barbershop. (Staff photo by Mike Steele.)
