Barber Hyde-away
Siblings a cut above with first chop at it
THE brother-sister team behind a popular Labrador barber shop will celebrate their business’ one-year anniversary next month.
Vee Dowman, 24, and Zach Hawkins, 25, are the young duo behind Jekyll and Hyde, an old-school barber shop offering leather chairs and free beers.
The pair had been barbering for seven years when they saw a shop for lease in Labrador.
“We had been working for three years for someone else but it was time for our own place,” Ms Dowman said.
“We started negotiating the lease in January, the keys were handed over in February and we opened in March.
“It was full on, we were doing 14-hour days which wasn’t fun but the end result was awesome.”
The Southport local said she didn’t need to take out a loan to open the business.
“My brother and I went halves and threw our life savings at the shop, we knew it could either go really well or wouldn’t even get started.
“We weren’t getting a wage for six months but after that we were on a roll.
“The fit-out alone cost over $100,000 but we’ve made everything back now.”
The first-time business owner said she had followed in her parents’ footsteps: “My parents and siblings are barbers so it runs in my blood.
“I left Benowa State High School at 15 and Dad taught me to barber and I still love it to this day.
“We didn’t let Dad see Jekyll and Hyde until it was finished and he just cried happy tears.”
Working with family has its ups and downs according to Ms Dowman.
“Zach is both my business partner and big brother and sometimes I just want to punch him but at the end of the day we work really well together.”
Ms Dowman said she was proud to break the stereotypes about female barbers.
“Some men see me as a little white blonde girl and say ‘no thanks’, I get that all the time but don’t take it personally anymore,” she said.
“I tell them they’ll be in good hands and when they’re ultimately happy with the haircut it feels good to break the stigma.”
Part of Ms Dowman’s job is keeping up with the latest hair trends.
“I just hope the mullet doesn’t make a comeback, but it’s looking that way,” she said.
Ms Dowman said she attributed the success of Jekyll and Hyde to “really good service”.
“Our standards are super high, everything is kept very clean and we even have a mini bar out the back for customers,” she said. “When I read our positive reviews it puts the biggest smile on my face, it means so much to us.”
The advice Ms Dowman would give to other young entrepreneurs is “just have a go”.
“People will say you’re not going to make it, especially as a young person, but you’ve got to give it a crack.”