A lot of fellers have been rediscovering barber shops lately. Jacob Harris catches up with a third generation practitioner to have a chat, find out what all the fuss is about, and get a natty new do while he’s at it.
Traditional barbering has enjoyed a bit of a comeback of late, with many gents heading out to get the old-school hairstyles first made popular between the 30s and 50s. And as I sit in the barber’s chair at Uncle Rocco’s barber shop, sipping a complimentary American pale ale, and shooting the breeze with the owner of this fine establishment, Fab Sfameni, I begin to understand why.
The shop itself is only about three metres deep and stretches along the façade of an art-deco brick building in industrial Port Melbourne that is also home to the Globe skateboard company. The reason for the shop’s diminutive depth is the full-size skate bowl that sits directly behind it. They actually had to cut into the bowl and reshape it in order to fit Uncle Rocco’s in. The result is pretty charming though and looking at the traditional barber’s chairs lined up behind the shop’s glass frontage, you would be forgiven for thinking it was built this way intentionally.
The thing about Uncle Rocco’s that differentiates it from the plethora of trendy, vintage-inspired barber shops that are popping up all over the place in cities like Melbourne and Sydney, is that Fab is the genuine article. He’s not just cashing in on the latest trend; one could even argue he helped precipitate it.
Fab has barbering in his blood. Three generations of it to be precise, and as he snips away at my unruly mop he tells me a little bit about his heritage.
“My Grandfather on my mum’s side was a barber, he started in Sicily when he was 12 and then at 14 he got a job working as a barber on a ship. He landed in Australia and decided to stay here and open up a barber shop. My dad started barbering in Italy when he was eight and by the time he was 10 he was doing full facial cuts. He came to Australia and got a job in my grandad’s shop and that’s how he met mum.”
Fab, like his father and grandfather before him, was interested in barbering from a young age. As a teen, his passions were skateboarding and hairdressing and by the time he’d hit his early twenties Fab had headed off to Europe to complete further training in the hairy arts by well-known practitioners such as Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon.
He then made a stop off in the USA to meet his uncle Rocco and to work in his barber shop (the original Rocco’s) in Milltown New Jersey. The two got along famously and before long Fab had formulated his plan.
“I told him, ‘one day I’ll open a shop and I’ll name it after you uncle Rocco.’ And he said ‘don’t name it Rocco’s, it’s a shit name. Name it Continental Haircuts, that sounds so much better.’” Fab says, imitating his uncle’s thick New Jersey accent.
Luckily, Fab didn’t heed his uncle’s well-intentioned advice and on his return to Australia set about opening his first shop.
“I opened my first shop in Bridge Road, Richmond in ’95. Back then, I’d have to try and entice guys to come into the shop because everyone was so sold on hairdressers – I couldn’t even get women to come into the barber shop. So that’s how the whole free beer thing started, I was thinking ‘what more can I do? I’ll give away free beer,’ and as soon as I did that mate, they came.”
When Fab was approached by the guys from Globe (who he knew from his skateboarding days) about opening up a shop in their headquarters he was sceptical about it working in the space. The location had no foot traffic and was a little tight to say the least. But, trusting Globe’s vision and enthusiasm for the idea, Fab agreed to open the shop.
“I really relied on social media, good haircuts and free beer. I had to run by appointment because there’s no passing trade but that actually works really well.”
Since opening a short time ago, what started as one chair (and due to the space was never meant to exceed two) has expanded to a five chair operation due to demand. In fact, most of Fab’s staff are actually former customers who came in and liked what they saw so much they asked Fab to train them. The hipster trend has probably bolstered popularity also as it has helped to bring the old styles back into fashion and made blokes think about their hair that little bit more.
And there are quite a few well known identities who regularly drop in for a cut or a shave too.
“About a week after I opened Eric Banner walked in for a haircut and shave. I was so nervous, but he was really cool. I think it took me about an hour and it usually takes about ten minutes. I really didn’t want to cut him,” says Fab.
The Melbourne Victory soccer team are also regular clients along with numerous AFL and cricket players. But Fab doesn’t make a big deal about his famous clientele, and as I see my new do start to take shape, I get the impression all his customers are given the same level of service – regardless of their social status.
Maybe this is part of the reason Fab’s business is booming. He’s a personable bloke who’s willing to listen to what his customers want, has the skills to deliver and will shout you a beer while he’s at it. He’s even got his own line of jeans and shirts (with hair products due early next year) that you can pick up in the shop. And with plans to open a second Uncle Rocco’s in early 2016.
Since time immemorial, women have taken themselves to the salon to enjoy a good chat and glass of champagne while getting a sweet new hairdo. Blokes used to do it too, but somewhere along the way we forgot how a bit of manly banter mixed in with a cut-throat shave and a trim can really put a shine on your day, and have you looking damn snappy while you’re at it. As I get up from the chair and check out my tidy new quiff, Fab slaps me on the back and says, “I reckon the wife will be pretty happy with it mate.” He wasn’t wrong either.
