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Can I get you a beer?” Kristen Charbonneau asked. “Absolutely,” I said, still a bit shocked she had offered one.
Charbonneau walked toward the back of the building, past the leather couches, flat-screen TVs, and—here’s the weird part—barber chairs. Clippers, at 1351 Monterey St. in SLO, is more akin to a sports bar than a barber shop.
Charbonneau peaked out from the back of the building. “Don’t hate me,” she said playfully. “But we’re out of the DBA.”
Bummer, but I accepted a pale ale in consolation. (You’ll live this time, Charbonneau.)
Charbonneau was chatty and personable—think neighborhood barber mixed with neighborhood bartender. “Let’s see what we can do to get these cowlicks,” she mumbled while I sat in the chair. (Hey!)
Baseball games flickered on multiple flat screens, which are conveniently placed to be viewable in the mirror during your cut.
After getting cleaned up, I sat down with owner Brian Osgood on one of the many posh black leather couches while his young daughter bounced around him, spilling milk from her sippy cup on the hardwood floors.
Osgood is tall and well groomed, with the type of look you’d expect to see on a poster lining the walls of Supercuts. Actually, Osgood opened Clippers in March 2007 as an alternative to those types of places.
“I just couldn’t find a good place to get my haircut,” he said.
Osgood has lived in SLO for about 10 years. After a five-year stint as a submarine mechanic in the Navy, he took a mechanic job at the Morro Bay Power Plant. He was laid off, but decided to take advantage of the free time and finally do something he had always wanted to.
“I’ve always wanted to own a business,” he said. “I just didn’t know what.”
So he began laying the groundwork to open Clippers, which also involved applying for a beer license. But Clippers doesn’t sell much booze, maybe six beers a day, Osgood said. What it really sells is atmosphere. With walls lined by diamond-pattern aluminum sheet, and rock music pumping through the sound system, the place has an aura of auto shop meets pub. Besides the beer, there’s a mini-fridge stocked with iced tea, Red Bull, and root beer in glass bottles.
“I think we provide kind of a unique alternative for guys to get their haircuts,” Osgood said.
Despite its polish, Clippers still has a corner barbershop vibe. Employees greet regular customers on a first-name basis, and the atmosphere begs you to lounge.
During the summer, while business is slow before Cal Poly students return,
Clippers is offering the chance to win free haircuts for life. Just fill out an entry form before the drawing on Sept. 1. Get a haircut and book another appointment, and you get to enter twice. Or maybe just kick back, have a beer, watch a game, and get a trim.
Fast facts
Need a computer for school? The Exploration Station’s Computers 4 Youth program helps students of all ages who qualify to receive a computer. The program accepts donated computers, refurbishes them, and installs software. With an eligible application and referral letter, the computers cost only $15. Applications can be found at explorationstation.org. For more information,
call Ellen Wood at 473-1421.
The City of Atascadero and Galaxy
Theatres present Movies in the Park beginning Aug. 7 and following Saturdays through August 28. Shows begin around 8:15 pm in the Sunken Gardens Park at 6500 Palma Ave. The events are free.
Families are encouraged to bring blankets and low-back chairs. A snack bar provides treats and beverages; St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Teens at Work will sell baked goods. The first film of the series is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. For more information visit atascadero.org or call 461-5000.
A digital photography class will be held Aug. 7 in Atascadero from 1 p.m. to 4 pm at the Colony Park Community Center. Admission costs $10 for residents, $11 for nonresidents. Learn the basics including camera menus, settings, metering, and exposure modes, lighting, and composition. Pre-registration is required. See atascadero.org or call 461-5000.
Staff Writer Colin Rigley compiled this week’s Stroke and Plugs. Send your nonprofit and business news to [email protected].
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