New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
‘Cool stories to tell’
Barber says his shop is for all generations
ORANGE — The owner of the newest barber shop in town is the first to admit, “I’m a barber who doesn’t look like a barber,” because his meticulously trimmed locks are down to his shoulders.
But customers say Matt Conklin can work wonders with his scissors, clippers, shaves, and he’s old school all around.
In addition to haircuts, Conklin, 36, is offering beard-trimming and straight razor shaves with hot towels, an art that appears to be disappearing.
“I always wanted a place where all the generations come in. Grandfather, father and the son,” he said. “I didn’t want to limit myself to one type of cut, hairstyle.”
He also loves the chatting about sports, current events, happenings around town — and especially the older school guys, “because they have a lot of cool stories to tell you about life.”
He grew up in Orange, and opened Matt’s Barber Shop, 288 Boston Post Road, right next to Knight’s Inc. at the
end of June after 15 years in the business working for someone else.
Conklin operates in a small, immaculate, 375-square-foot remodeled space with relaxing earth tone walls and strives to be “a local neighborhood barber shop,” in hopes, he said of barbering people of all ages, as he has the skills. He has three barber chairs in hope of adding staff down the line.
He was hired at Hero Barbershop in Newtown, right out of a barbering school, connected to the business and stayed until opening his own shop, saying he learned a lot while there.
Conklin’s hair had always been short, but then a few years ago co-workers had a contest to see who could go longest without cutting their hair. Conklin liked the long hair, and, “then I met my girlfriend while I had the long hair and I figured she might not like me if I cut it.”
She’s still his girlfriend and helped design the shop.
People comment on the irony of his long hair all the time, and “I just kind of chuckle,” he said.
Longtime customer Spencer Palmer said Conklin is the only person he trusts to cut his hair.
“He does excellent work and I always leave the chair feeling like I got the best possible haircut available,” Palmer said.
“I’ve been going to him for over seven years and in that time I’ve received numerous compliments about my hair. People always ask me where I got my hair cut,” Palmer said. “Matt is also very easy to talk to and it feels like I’m spending time with a friend rather than just getting my hair cut.”
Andrew Anziano, a close friend of Conklin’s who was in for a haircut and hot-towel shave recently, has been a client for years, but would have been sooner if he hadn’t felt a sense of loyalty to another barber who has since switched careers. Conklin encouraged his friend to keep that bond, even though it meant one less customer for himself.
Anziano said he likes that Conklin “does a lot of blending with scissors,” while many other barbers stick with “buzzers.”
He also likes the close shaves, saying, “It’s a nice feeling — sometimes you have to pamper yourself.”
He said Conklin “takes his time” and they also love talking the Giants and Yankees. Anziano likes Conklin’s long hair as well. “I always said, ‘Don’t trust a skinny chef or a bald barber,’ ” Anziano said.
Although Conklin admits, “I’ve been cutting my own hair and buzzing friends in the back yard for years,” he never set out to be a barber or stylist. He was just trying to save his parents money by doing his own hair all those years for the price of $30 clippers.
He graduated from Amity Regional High School and wanted to be a zookeeper or marine biologist, as he loves animal, but things change at that age. He didn’t finish college, worked with the disabled for a few years, then heard about the barber school — it piqued his interest.
The soft spoken Conklin hasn’t missed a beat in the profession since, keeping up with all the latest styles and even teaching others.
He intended to open a shop after school, but stayed at Hero, then decided to take the leap when they changed their business model to stylists renting chairs.
“So I thought if I’m going to have the responsibilities of my own business, I should just have my own business,” he said. Conklin said his parents happily gave him a loan to open.
“I’m loving it,” he said of the business. “Every week it seems to do a little better.”
He carries only one line of hair product: Johnny Slicks, all natural shampoo, conditioner, styling substance, saying he chose the line in part because it’s veteran owned and an American company that makes everything in small batches.
Matt’s Barber Shop is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 10 am to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.