Hip, family-friendly Heights barbershop takes flight
Birds Barbershop gives off a distinct ’80s vibe. The walls are splattered with primary-color zigzags and lined by rows of mega-watt light strips. Two Pac-Man arcade games in one corner paint a vivid, vintage picture.
But the playlist emanating from a hightech speaker system is rather contemporary and influenced by the musicfestival scene of Austin, the barbershop’s home base.
For a decade, Michael Portman hand-picked the digitally shared soundtrack from his personal database of 20,000 songs. These days, background-music specialists from Gray V curate the tunes.
Portman co-founded the first Birds salon in 2006 alongside childhood friend Jayson Rapaport. They currently manage more than 150 employees across nine Texas locations, and Michael’s wife, Erin Portman, oversees public relations efforts.
In December, the tight-knit trio opened its premier Houston outpost in the uber-trendy Heights. It’s stationed next to another familyrun store, the all-natural frozen-dessert shop Steel City Pops, which is where Birds’ receptionist directs customers who crave refreshments other than water.
While there’s no coffee, tea or soft drinks at Birds. one of the barbershop’s signature moves is doling out complimentary Shiner beer. (Thanks to TABC regulations, that service isn’t available until noon.)
Beard trims, color and haircuts (for all ages) are also on the menu. The most surprising offerings listed are blowouts and special-occasion hairdos. How often are clippers, shears, straighteners and flat irons seen grouped side by side? And hanging from a suspended Craftsman tool box, no less?
Stylist Tramon Ramsey isn’t fazed. Blow-drys, he says, are his specialty.
The Georgia native explains that all in-house Verb products were formulated in Austin by Portman and Rapaport to combat Texas-specific hair hazards — namely, humidity.
One hour of flipping through Kinfolk magazine later — no Vanity Fair, GQ or Marie Claire titles here — my coif, a classic blowout, is admittedly flawless. Priced at $25 (plus $10 for hot styling tools), the tab is significantly less than other Inner Loop competitors, who can charge $40 and up.
For the Heights’ familyminded residents, the ability to book kids’ haircuts next to their parents’ in a true-to-the-neighborhood setting likely will be the biggest draw. Though ice cold brews and a little throwback joystick action are also well-known hipster magnets.
And who knows? Clients may even walk out with a few new songs in their heads, too.