The Barb Shop: Building Community Through Cuts and Soft Serve
How Sheena transformed a gap in the market into a thriving Bernal Heights destination
Five years ago, Sheena identified a problem that the beauty industry had long overlooked: women with short hair had virtually nowhere to turn for products designed specifically for them. Her solution was The Barb Shop, an online business that started with a single soft clay pomade and has since grown into something much more ambitious.
Today, The Barb Shop serves customers through two channels: a direct-to-consumer online platform and distribution to approximately 200 barbershops and salons nationwide. The company’s target demographic, what Sheena calls “Barb to buzz cut” styles, has proven surprisingly broad, with the largest consumer segment being women over 50, 60, and 70. These “Boomer Barbs,” as Sheena affectionately refers to them, represent an underserved market that the beauty industry has largely ignored.
From Online to Storefront
Three months ago, Sheena expanded beyond e-commerce by opening a physical barbershop in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood. The decision to open there wasn’t arbitrary. Sheena describes Bernal as a judgment-free community with a rich history of queerness—exactly the kind of environment where her vision could thrive.
The shop caters specifically to women and non-binary people with short hair (though all short-haired humans are welcome), offering both beauty services and an unexpected amenity: a soda fountain serving soft serve ice cream. It’s an unconventional combination that required separate city licenses for the barbershop and food service operations, but Sheena reports a positive experience navigating the regulatory requirements to establish what the city classifies as a flex space.
The addition of soft serve has proven popular, with customers particularly enjoying the Affogato, a distinctive combination of espresso and ice cream. The setup serves a dual purpose: creating a welcoming atmosphere for the shop’s diverse clientele, including both queer customers and new parents with strollers seeking a community-focused space.
A Different Approach to Beauty
What sets The Barb Shop apart is its philosophy as much as its products. Sheena emphasizes a minimalist, functional approach that challenges traditional beauty norms.
The focus is on creating a safe space for self-expression rather than conforming to conventional standards.
This extends to the business model itself. Unlike typical salons, The Barb Shop uses a salary-based system for its hairdressers rather than the standard commission structure. It’s one of several operational decisions Sheena has had to navigate as a small team.
The transition from purely online operations has been eye-opening. Sheena admits surprise at the effort required to run a brick-and-mortar business, particularly around scheduling, pricing, and staffing. Cross-contamination concerns between hair cutting and food service have proven minimal, but the overall operational complexity has been a learning curve.
Looking Ahead
Despite occupying a space that had previously sat vacant, The Barb Shop has quickly become a neighborhood fixture. Sheena’s plans for the future include introducing curated events, such as “Barb After Dark,” focused on the queer community, and expanding the soda fountain’s offerings, including potential late-night hours.
Like many small businesses today, The Barb Shop faces the challenge of balancing social media presence with revenue generation. Sheena credits her team for strong social media efforts while acknowledging the ongoing tension between visibility and profitability in the digital age.
For now, The Barb Shop continues to fill a niche that the beauty industry long neglected, one pomade and soft-serve cone at a time. In reviving a closed storefront and creating a genuinely inclusive community space, Sheena has demonstrated that addressing underserved markets isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business.
San Francisco Family Friendly Calendar
The Barb Shop
Mike Doherty serves as Chief Experience Officer at Greening Projects, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming underutilized urban spaces into vibrant green areas
