They take cuts very seriously
Several area barbers finding a unique niche as stylists for a few Steelers
It was around Easter five years ago when Antoine Dion Thomas refers to his life becoming “Steeler-fied.” A Homewood native who goes by simply “Antoine Dion,” he’s the owner of Hair. On Bedford Square, a barber shop with an unassuming storefront in the South Side Flats. In 2015, one of his regulars told him he had a brother who needed a haircut, and Dion was happy to do it.
“Just tell your brother to come by the shop sometime,” he said.
“Well, he doesn’t want to drive,” came the reply.
“Who is your brother?” Dion asked, confused. “What, is he going to float here?”
That’s when he found out his new client was Le’Veon Bell, an All-Pro running back for the Steelers entering his third year in the NFL at the time but not yet a household name to this particular Pittsburgh barber. So, he made a house call for the first time and found himself styling a professional athlete. Shortly after, Bell posted a selfie on Twitter with the caption “fresh cut got me feeling like a million bucks!!!”
If Bell thought he felt like a million bucks, the man on the other end of the clippers could’ve held out for a billion.
“That literally was the start of everything,” said the lifelong stylist whose @antoinedion Instagram page is filled with work for Steelers.
It was his social media presence in the first place that helped make him one of the local barbers who are the go-to guys for the city’s football stars. Like any creature of hair habit, the Steelers have their favorites for haircuts. Barber shops all across the state are happy to be in the green phase, but some in Western Pennsylvania are in a perpetual black-andgold phase.
John Dietz, owner of Detailz Hair Studio in New Castle, Lawrence County, entered the NFL celebrity orbit about four years ago, thanks to a combination of savvy Instagram usage and good old-fashioned word of
mouth. One of his first Steelers clients was former defensive back Will Allen, whose testimony was enough to change Dietz’s life and make him a busy man.
“It’s a lot of driving, a lot of hours, a lot of time,” Dietz said. “But you either do it or you don’t. It’s kind of crazy to think, those guys have people in their DMs [direct messages] wanting to cut them, or even cut them for free. It’s definitely cool when someone like that seeks you out or drives out to see you, and is passing multiple barber shops on the way.”
On a recent Friday on the South Side, Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner — who lived here all offseason — was patiently waiting for “Ant” to finish up another customer. Hitting Bedford Square for a fresh trim is a weekly ritual, or as Banner puts it, “I’m the 1 o’clock guy.”
During the season, Banner’s appointment might be before or after the likes of Diontae Johnson, Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton or Ryan Switzer. Oh, or another wide receiver you might have heard of named JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Dion calls his life now “The JuJu Era,” with Bell no longer here. Although even with the New York Jets, Bell still flies his old Pittsburgh barber out to New Jersey each week during the season to get his hair right, according to Dion. He’s so embedded within the team now that in recent years he has been a fixture at training camp in Latrobe, setting up shop — literally — in a laundry room in Rooney Hall.
That’s where he first met Smith-Schuster, who had the plan last year to get a different design in his hair for every game. Smith-Schuster has sent him plenty of other prominent heads, from Pirates pitcher Chris Archer to Pitt football players and even some pro wrestlers when they’re in town. In New Castle, running back James Conner keeps Dietz “on my toes” with his ideas for new styles.
At Hair., the regulars have gotten used to seeing Steelers among them, though Dion now has a more discreet door for players as popular as Smith-Schuster to enter and exit.
“Feel as at home as you can,” is what he tells his famous clients, whether he’s at their place or they’re in his shop. “I’m literally just here to do what I do. You can set your house on fire and I won’t say anything. I think that’s why me and the players get along, because I treat them — it sounds cliche, but — like normal people.”
Of course, dealing with friends and family who know you might have their fantasy football players in your chair is another factor.
“A lot of people ask me questions because I’m from a town that is majority Steeler fans, but I’m a vault,” Dietz said with a laugh. “I think that’s why a lot of those guys like me. I keep it super professional and try to offer the highest quality of service, even on a house call.”
Dietz, who also counts James Harrison as a loyal client, especially is grateful to the players who have talked him up to their teammates. Safety Marcus Allen, who has been to both popular shops in South Side and New Castle, mentioned Dietz to cornerback Joe Haden. Conner referred defensive lineman Cam Heyward, and now Haden is sending Dietz a budding star in safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Not that big-time barbering is all glitz and glam. Dietz’s clients respect his time, but occasionally he gets calls at odd hours of the day, and “if it’s 6 a.m. or midnight, you’ve got to charge accordingly.” Carlos Norman, Ben Roethlisberger’s guy at Norman’s Cuttin’ Edge in Sewickley, unwittingly found himself on CNN explaining his personal relationship with the quarterback that led to the now-infamous quarantine cut.
Back on the South Side, typically bubbly Banner cites a famous Deion Sanders adage when asked why it’s so important that he makes sure to get lined up each week, same day, same barber.
“Look good, feel good, play good,” Banner beams. “It’s as simple as that.”