Inside San Francisco’s new COVID-compatible outdoor Barber Collective

Originally appeared on The SF Chronicle.

The buzz of clippers mingles with the sounds of upbeat chatter and chill music wafting from the corner of 11th and Bryant streets in San Francisco. Just beyond the Highway 101 overpass, the clouds are starting to break for some afternoon sun over the former SoMa StrEat Food Park, which reopened Sept. 2 as the Barber Collective, the city’s first COVID-compatible outdoor barbershop.

Inside the gates, the park’s 18,000 square feet have been given over to food trucks and haircuts. At high tables customers snack on pizza, empanadas and pulled pork sandwiches or await their turn to trim months of pandemic mane in the barber’s chair. Along the perimeter, barber stations under shade sails are separated by wooden lattice with two socially distanced stylists at each. In the middle of the space, a high-ceiling structure that once sheltered tables and seating now houses six barber stations and a beauty bar.

“It is exhilarating to be here after so many months as we can begin to nurture the barbering culture, the fellowship, the smiles and laughs once again,” says Christopher Diez, owner of the San Francisco Barbershop on 16th Street in the Mission District. Other industries have been able to fight back against the coronavirus pandemic in their own way. “Now, it is finally our time,” he says.

When the Bay Area issued the shelter-in-place order on March 17, barbershops across the region closed. Even as restaurants in San Francisco reopened for outdoor dining on June 12, and shopping at enclosed malls resumed a few days later, personal services like haircuts, manicures and massages remained off-limits. The summer spike in coronavirus cases rolled back some openings and pushed the timeline for barbershops later. On Sept. 1, barbershops, nail salons and massage parlors were given the green light to deliver outdoor services in San Francisco. Indoor services resumed, at limited capacity, a week ago.

For barbers, Diez says, “the fear of the pandemic was compounded: our overall safety and the possibility of not being able to earn a living for quite some time.” As restrictions began to lift six months after the pandemic began, “we had to figure out how we can come together to earn a living while still protecting the public,” he says.

Diez and his friend Carlos Muela, owner of SoMa StrEat Food Park, Spark Social SF and Parklab Gardens, called each other on the same day with the same idea: “You have the barbershop, I have the space, let’s figure out how we can work together,” says Muela.

The new Barbershop Collective is made up of individual stylists and whole barbershop staffs like the San Francisco Barbershop, Blades & Co and most recently Beau SF, a barbershop and salon that offers eyelash and brow treatments. The space also features food trucks Firetrail Pizza, Nucha Empanadas, Porkie SF and StrEat Food Bar, with more to come.

In its first five days, the collective had over 600 appointments. “The barbers had never seen such demand like this — ever,” says Muela. However, the poor air quality from wildfires hurt business, and with indoor services resuming, some barbers have left. Still, Muela says appointments are picking back up again.

“People are skeptical, but once more people start to see the space and the way it is set up, this will grow,” says Tatiana Westfield, a barber and stylist who worked most recently at the People’s Barber in Oakland. She describes the past six months as a whirlwind. For the first two months, Westfield laid low because “that was what we needed to do for all of us to move forward.” But soon “bills started adding up, landlords started acting crazy and I couldn’t afford to not work,” says Westfield. “I am so grateful to be here with like-minded people who are working to make sure everyone stays safe.”

Barber Bryce Ward, who worked at the San Francisco Barbershop before the pandemic has made house calls and done private cuts while it was closed. “We haven’t been in the shop since March,” Ward says. “Right now, I am happy to be in this space and stationary once again.”

As a black woman in the industry, Westfield faces additional challenges. “On countless occasions, men will sit in my chair to scrutinize every detail, accuse me of having an attitude and even question my abilities.”

She believes the future of barbering will be found in “little sanctuaries” like the new Barber Collective. “I think (the collective) will push us into a new culture of appreciation for barbering,” she says. “I’ve been in the industry for about 15 years, and just to watch the respect level for stylists and barbers go up has been humbling.”

Even with indoor services available, Carlos Muela says the collective is seeing plenty of demand and appointments. He’s excited about the potential for his park to both boost barbers and serve as a community hub. As restrictions start to loosen up, he envisions showcases, fitness, battles and collaborations. “We have all the different elements — food, drink, barbers,” he says. “We’d love to start getting nail salons, hair stylists and just create this space where businesses can get back to work.”