Barbershop Blog
MEET THE BARBER
October 21, 2019
Stockland Greenhills is bustling, it is a busy Thursday night and the Barber Industries store is pumping. We wait for the team to clear the bench of eager customers and then we sit for a chat with our main man on the ground in Maitland, Mr Amir Karimkhani.
How long have you been in the barbershop game and how long have you had Barber Industries at Stockland Greenhills?
I have been working as a barber for 20 years now. I first worked in Iran in Tehran province, I worked with the boys at my own shop and then I came to Australia. In Sydney, I worked for Barber Industries Miranda for 2 years before I relocated with my family to Maitland where we opened the Barber Industries at Stockland Greenhills, in 2018.
You started your career in Iran where the barbershop culture and service is really traditional, Can you tell us a little about your mentors and training.
Sure, my education in Iran was second to none, I had really good teachers in the older guys at the barbershop, they were well seasoned old boys and their guidance helped me to develop a good foundation and all those really important fundamentals of the trade. Over time you develop your own style and refine your techniques but I believe you need to have a strong background and understanding to fall back on, and that is what I learnt from my time there.
What motivates you and what do you love most about what you do?
I want to provide the best service to the area, I am motivated to further build on what we have started here at the barbershop, when the customer is smiling and they are happy with the job, that makes me happy, that is what I love about it and that is the reward for all the hard work.
Waiting at the shop to start this interview and it has been super busy, the shop has developed a really strong following, what do you attribute this to?
People are still discovering us and when they do they keep coming back. We see new faces all the time, but the new faces are turning into loyal customers, they come once and then they keep coming back, I guess we are delivering the right kind of service and there is obviously a lot of different factors to consider there. I do believe it's a culmination of many things, most importantly the team and their skills, and then couple that up with fair pricing and the aesthetic of the shop and it all starts to come together into a nice package.
Which hairstyle is the most requested and do you see any new trends emerging.
By far the skin fade is the most popular style, high or mid skin fade with a hard part, that is the most popular at the moment and that spans across a wide age group too, it wouldn’t be uncommon to have dad and the kids request the same cut. In saying that it is usually quite different between the age brackets, the older gentleman don't really go for the same style as the young kids and the adolescence. As far as new trends go, there is always something new emerging or something making a comeback, looks like it could be mullet season this summer, we will see how that unfolds over time (Laughs).
Thanks Amir.