Meet Jared Hohne, the Cape Town entrepreneur behind The Usual Barber Studio, a barbershop turned creative studio for barbers.
Ask a regular what they're having and you never get a menu. They ask for, “the usual”.
Jared built a business on those two words. He's a dad, a husband and the founder of The Usual Barber Studio at 199 Loop Street, Cape Town. Fades, cuts and beard grooming, with walk-ins welcome. The name has already caused a little chaos. One visitor told Jared he couldn't find “the unusual” on Google Maps. Jared’s take: if people are mixing up the name, at least they are talking about it. Come in once, and it becomes the usual”.
Ten years, straight out of school
Jared has been in the industry for about ten years. He started straight after school.
“I really enjoy doing what I do, and now being able to be a business owner in my own industry, I think it's something that I'm very proud of for myself.”
A barbershop turned studio
The idea is simple: a creative space for barbers in Cape Town to work. Jared's reasoning is just as simple.
“I think you need a good space to work in. If you don't have a good space, you're not in a good headspace.”
So the look is modern and sleek, and the space is enclosed to feel more private. “We just wanted to come into the industry with something fresh and new that no one else has ever done before.”
Plenty of barbershops run on volume, with as many heads through the door as possible. That's not what The Usual is about.
“The experience we offer here is something a little bit different to the usual experience you would get elsewhere. Haircuts are designed and created for you specifically. It's a very tailored experience.”
It starts with a consultation: how you wear your hair, what products you use, what trouble you've had with them. A few other details are very Cape Town. Clients can bring their own records and play them through the studio's speakers while they get their haircut, and a deck outside is planned for anyone who wants to chill or have a beer. The barbers work on a commission structure, so everyone earns on what they do.
A dad in the chair
Jared has a young son, who sits still for a haircut like a regular. It says something about the place: this is the kind of barbershop you'd take your son to.
Running the business behind the barber
A full book of regulars is the good part. Behind it sits the part nobody films: who got paid, what came in, what went out. Jared handles that himself, on stub. His verdict:
“I really, really enjoy using it. It's super easy.”
He reached out to stub at the start because nothing else was built for people like him.
“There's nothing out there for the entrepreneur, like for the small businesses. Everything is geared for accountants themselves or for major enterprises.”
Now he reconciles everything and goes through it himself. Once he's categorised a transaction correctly, the next matching one just goes through.
“It's been a dream. I wouldn't be able to do this without stub.”
Book the chair
The Usual is at 199 Loop Street, Cape Town. Walk in, or book online at theusual.co.za. Follow Jared at @jaredyourbarber and the studio at @theusual_barberstudio.