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Beardsgaard Barbers

Mom and pop barber nerds on a quest to fund an epic fortress of beards and old school barbering.

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Beardsgaard Barbers

Beardsgaard Barbers

Beardsgaard Barbers

Beardsgaard Barbers

Beardsgaard Barbers

Mom and pop barber nerds on a quest to fund an epic fortress of beards and old school barbering.

Mom and pop barber nerds on a quest to fund an epic fortress of beards and old school barbering.

Mom and pop barber nerds on a quest to fund an epic fortress of beards and old school barbering.

Mom and pop barber nerds on a quest to fund an epic fortress of beards and old school barbering.

Natalie Anderson
Natalie Anderson
Natalie Anderson
Natalie Anderson
2 Campaigns |
Batavia, United States
$2,570 USD 42 backers
9% of $26,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 2 Projects Mountain Filled 2 Projects

Our Story

Hello! We are Natalie and Tyler Anderson. We are stupid in love with each other and with our craft. We are barbers, you see, and it is high time we carved out a shoppey realm of our own.

We have long had a dream of building a business where customer service, product knowledge and attention to detail are of the highest priority, as those have always been our greatest skills in every job we have ever held.

What we have been missing, though, is a career where we can not only join forces (as good as we can be separately, we are far better together), but where we can pour all of those skills, obsessive pursuit of perfection and nerdtastic inclinations into a place all our own.

It wasn’t until Tyler followed Natalie into the world of barbering that we knew this business would be a barbershop, but once the name Beardsgaard was uttered, it was all over for us.

We knew we had found our purpose.

The Shop

This town and even the shop itself are steeped in history.

We are still not quite sure how old our building is, although we do know that it was a pharmacy in 1890, about 15 years after Mary Todd Lincoln’s sanitarium incarceration a few blocks away. It even still has that gorgeous pressed tin ceiling.

Many of the buildings around here are even older than that – the house we live in dates back to 1856. That’s pre-Civil War. There may be ghosts.

The front desk is a beautiful old piece from Kinder Hardware that was built in the 1880s. Our Koch and Koken barber chairs date back to the 1920s. The walls, while sparse still, will soon fill up with more antiques and nerd memorabilia.

Ask any of the best barbershops in the world  what makes powerhouse shops like theirs so popular, and you will get many answers, but one thread that ties them all together are that the owners built a place of business that feels like home to them.

When their clients enter their doors, they know they are in a place that is truly loved by its inhabitants. We are building a business/second home for the rest of our lives, and before long, the whole community will feel at home here too.

So here we sit, having now completed far more buildout since we started filming clips for the video above and since most of these photos were taken. We have pretty much everything we need to open, and are nearly done with the buildout.

This young family has managed to scrape together nearly everything we need to open a this business (one where the equipment is NOT cheap) with no loans or outside funding.

Now that we are so close to the end, all that remains is plumbing and retail stock. We are almost there, and with a little bit of help from you, something very special will come into the world.

The Meaning to Life, the Universe and Everything

This is a barbershop we are talking about, one single barbershop in the world, in a place the residents of Chicago consider the ends of the earth, if they have even heard of Batavia at all. Our little barbershop is not going to change the world. Probably.

Down the line we plan to expand our team, selection, client and industry education initiatives, craft our own line of products, and absolutely build that Dalek towel steamer, but we will never become a big, multiple location corporate entity. And that’s okay, just the way we like it, in fact.

We just want to keep doing the impeccable work that we have been doing at our chairs for years, and continue to make our clients look and feel like the men they want to be.

So What Does This Mean For You?

This is the internet, a vast universe in the ether, full of people from all over this pale blue dot in space – so why would the vast majority of you stumbling across this campaign be interested in helping us make this happen with your hard-earned money?

504tardis_zps63527573 Beardsgaard Barbers

Let’s find out. Are you…

  • A gentleman living within driving distance of the western Chicago suburbs? Contributing would mean you will have the best damn barbershop you will find outside of a major metropolitan city at your disposal – and even in the big cities, shops this good are rare gems. Although we appreciate any contribution , the $30, $100, $500, $1,000 and $5,000 levels are of most value to this group, as you are essentially pre-purchasing our services.
  • A fellow barber or barbershop? Barbers know that we really don’t have any competition. There are far more heads out there that need barbering than there are shops available, especially good ones, and the stronger we make the industry as a whole, the better we all do. So say we all, and all that.
  • A person with a few extra bucks to spare for some do-gooding?  Helping a young family get a mom and pop business get off the ground earns some major karma, and you get cool perk stuff to boot. How can you lose? The answer is that you cannot. All win here.
  • (just throwing this one out there) One of the many brands that we are going to be ordering a ridiculous amount of stock from if this campaign goes as swimmingly as we hope?
  • A Time Lord madman in a box that has uncovered a mysterious treasure horde somewhere in time and space, and as you have no need for money, you would like to give it to us? Fantastic!

If any of those sound like you, or even if they don’t and you want to contribute anyway (you rebel, you!), read on to find out more about the cool perks we have on offer.

The Perkiest of Perks

This is the fun part. Huzzah, perks! Here is what you get in return for each contribution level. You can find more detail about each perk up on the right of the page.

Risks? Don’t Worry, We Have a Plan

There are a lot of risks in opening a business, but not so many in this one. And even still, we have a plan. So what are these “risks?” Glad you asked.

  • Are there other barbers around the area? Yes, but not many, and there are far more clients than even our combined forces could service.
  • Are there salons around? Yes, plenty, but our services include many barber specialties you cannot find at a salon, and they can’t match our quality for price ratio.
  • Will we be able to find enough clients? Hoo boy yes. Keep reading, you will so see why.
  • Will we be able to afford to run this place as a two-chair shop? Yes. Our overhead is very low, and between the two of us we can break even running at less than half capacity, which is easily achievable by month three at the latest. Once we fill up, we will start looking to expand our team.
  • Should we have waited until we saved up more money and been able to fund this single-handedly? Yes, but too many big pieces were falling into place on a much sooner time table, and who knows what might have happened in that extra time? The stars were aligning, and we know the right time is now. Nothing great ever happened without someone just deciding to jump.

We can do this, there isn’t the slightest shred of doubt in our minds. But by Odin’s beard, we just need to get the doors open first. That’s where this campaign comes in.

Contingency

So what happens if we don’t reach our goal? That’s one of the best parts about our campaign. The plumbing has to happen, no matter what, even if we have to max out our credit cards to do it (we do not want to do that, if at all possible, for obvious reasons).

The product is much more flexible. If we have to get started with a super lean product line and work our way up to a wider selection, we will, but we really want to be able to give our clients great service and great selection right out of the gate. We can scale our retail stock to whatever fundraising will allow.

But this really is just the beginning, this isn’t even our dream product selection yet. Some require quite an authorization process and a substantial buy-in, so we will be looking toward those after we are well up and running. Additionally, we are looking toward creating our own product line in the next couple of years.

What it all boils down to is that we will be able to complete this project even if we do not reach our full goal, but if we were to be so lucky as to exceed our goals, the funds will still go to great use in making this business to coolest damn place you have ever seen and expanding selection even further.

THE PLAN

This is the part where we throw some numbers around, detail what we have already put into this, what we still need to open with gusto, and the dark side of perks.

Every time we look around the shop, we are shocked that the place is looking as upscale as it is, for how much money we have put into it, about $21,000.

The funds we are looking to raise include plumbing and retail stock, which amount to $22,700, as well as $3,300 to cover perk fulfillment, for a total of $26,000. The actual value of those perks, however is far higher, at about $33,800.

If you like data as much as we like data, we’ve got your data right here.

We are certainly not looking to the public to finance this entire venture. We have already invested a substantial sum of our own money, as well as already putting in all of the physical work on the shop. There is even a bit more that is earmarked to finish a few more projects around the shop.

Even so, in the timeline of opening this business, we are 90% of the way there. This is what we have already spent, rounded for neatness.

  • Furnishings (barber chairs, seating, stations, mirrors, display cabinets, desk, U-Haul to move it all, etc.): $7,000
  • Tools (shears, clippers, razors, other tools, Latherizers, hot towel steamer, etc.): $5,000
  • Printing (business cards, postcards, price tags, posters, T-shirts, signage, vinyl, awning, associated permits, etc.): $2,500
  • Lighting (pendant lights, wall lights, spotlights, retail lighting, bulbs, associated permits, etc.): $2,500
  • Supplies (barber and office supplies, towels, sanitation, guest services, etc.): $2,000
  • Buildout (paint, lumber, tools, etc.): $1,000
  • Legal (business setup, filing fees, etc.): $1,000
  • Other Expenses (all the little nitty-gritty stuff that likes to empty your wallet in such endeavors): $1,000

Plumbing

The funds we are trying to raise are to go toward plumbing first and foremost, as we totally need to get that done to open. Plumbing is quoted at $7,500 between what we need to pay the plumber, buy the sinks and fixtures, and file permits.

  • Plumber (running new pipes, setting up venting, safety regulation compliance, etc.): $6,500
  • Fixtures (sinks and other fixtures, etc.): $800
  • Other Expenses (permits, etc.): $200

Retail Stock

Our secondary fundraising goal is to stock our shelves with all of the retail items our clients need to look and feel their best from the neck up, as well as backbar (product for use on clients at the chair).

This will take about $15,200 up front, and includes retail stock such as shampoo and conditioner, hair, shave, beard and face care tools and supplies. Many of these companies have products that fit into multiple categories, but we have only listed them once each.

  • Hair (Klorane, DS Laboratories, Paul Mitchell, Reuzel, Sachajuan shampoos, conditioners, hair product, treatment): $7,000
  • Shaving (D.R. Harris, Hudson Made, Prospector Co., Boker, Dovo, Edwin Jagger, Merkur, Feather, razors, blades, brushes, shave creams, shave soaps, shave oils, aftershaves, hand thrown shave bowls and mugs, etc.): $4,500
  • Beard (Beardbrand, Big Red, Kent, Captain Fawcett, The Bearded Bastard, beard oils, beard balms, mustache waxes, combs and brushes): $2,500
  • Other Expenses (Ernest Supplies, Gentleman’s Brand Co., PLANT face washes, scrubs, moisturizers.): $1,200

Of course the perks we have set up cost money as well, and those are a bit of a wild card, as we cannot know how many of each will be claimed. We do know how much the fulfillment of each perk will cost us, so we are working off of averages for these calculations, with perk fulfillment accounting for about 14.5% of each dollar raised.

Of course the monetary cost of perks is one thing, and one that we are factoring into our fundraising goals. What we are not figuring in is the total value of these services, which on average far exceed the contribution cost at about 130% of each dollar raised.

What we are saying is, we work hard for the money.

The Awkward Part

Of course one would want to be sure they weren’t throwing money away when they make a contribution of this sort, but let us set your mind at ease and tell you why this business will flourish. This is the hard part for us, getting a little braggy, but if it must be, it must be, so here it is.

We are really good at this. Ridiculously good. Not only that, but working at shops where you can only book a spot the day of, we often have days where we are fully booked within two minutes of phones opening up in the morning. Even if some days it takes slightly longer, we are fully booked every day without fail.

Not all of the haircuts and beards that walk out of our shop are showstoppers. We create plenty of everyday, simple styles – most of our work is fairly simple, in fact. Many clients won’t notice upon leaving the shop that there is something different about this haircut. But over the next few days and weeks, you realize that when it comes to taming 100,000 strands into something that is effortlessly easy to wear, the details are EVERYTHING.

Clients have (jokingly) threatened to leave us terrible Yelp reviews after trying for weeks or longer to get an appointment just so they can chase other clients away. But still they come, almost entirely through word of mouth and our social media efforts.

We are head-swimmingly busy (and supremely grateful for each and every person that trusts their style to us) with rabidly loyal clients who recommend us all over town, as well as to the people that are constantly complimenting their haircuts and beards when out and about.

We have clients that live all over the country (New York, to California, and everywhere in between) and the world (clients in Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Saudi Arabia and more) who time their visits to Chicago with when they need haircuts and beardwork. We work on people who can afford to go literally anywhere for a haircut, and then come to little ol’ affordable us.

We are even Santa’s barber. For real. His name is Bob, he is a real-bearded professional Santa (no mall stuff for Santa Bob) and he is rad. You wouldn’t believe the power having Santa’s number on speed dial holds when the little ones are misbehaving.

We know from experience that once a client sits in our chairs, if they live reasonably nearby or come to the area regularly, they always return. So while we are starting over far from where we have worked for years, we know it will not take long to be full to capacity, every single day.

People have already been popping in constantly while we have been working on the buildout, and one look at the place has them exclaiming that they are not going to get a haircut until we are open. Then between in-person local networking and social/web channels, the buzz is getting quite buzzy.

Other Ways You Can Help

We know we have the makings of something fantastic here.

While we appreciate every contribution of any amount, we completely understand if you are unable to do so. But that certainly doesn’t mean you can’t help!

If you like what we’re doing here and want to lend us a virtual leg up, please share this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, your blog, or wherever you hang about the interwebs.

You can even do it right down below here. So easy. Just click the button. You know you want to. It would feel so good. It would make a clickety sound and make you feel good for the rest of the day. Or contribute and get neat stuff in return, that totally works too.

Either way, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

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Choose your Perk

featured

The Full Treatment

$100 USD
Save this one for a special occasion because we are going to make you feel like a million bucks. Here's how it goes: Hot towel, shampoo, haircut, second shampoo, razor edging, styling, eyebrow, ear and nose hair, more hot towels, badger brush, hot lather, shave, repeat, icy towel, post-shave, facial massage and take home up to $30 worth of barber-selected products. More hair in one area and less in another? Substitute Beardsgaard's Signature Beard Overhaul and/or Straight Razor Head Shave.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
16 claimed

A Very Beardsgaard Thank You

$5 USD
Every little bit helps us toward our goal! For your five dollar contribution, we will include your photo and bio on a Beardsgaard Barbers Facebook page album dedicated to everyone who helped make this barbershop a success.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
1 claimed

Club Beardsgaard

$10 USD
For your $10 contribution, you will receive a handwritten thank you note from the barbers with a Beardsgaard logo sticker that feature Tir, the beard of Beardsgaard, and your very own beard name. Oh, did we not mention that all of our epic beards earn a beard name? Because they do. Whether you have a physical beard or not, in our hearts, we are all bearded.
Estimated Shipping
December 2014
4 claimed

Online Consultation

$20 USD
Just because you are not in our geographic area, doesn't mean you can't take advantage of our barber's services. You get a detailed consultation about your hair, beard, shaving, personal product recommendations, whatever you like, just as we do in the shop. With Skype, we can get the barber treatment wherever you are.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
0 claimed

Haircut, Shave or Beard

$30 USD
Choose any one of the below: - Haircut: perfectly tailored with a massaging shampoo, hot towel face wrap, straight razor neck shave, styled to the nines. - Straight Blade Shave: loads of fluffy hot steam towels, shave lather whipped up with a badger brush, finished with a facial massage. - Beardsgaard's Signature Beard Overhaul: deep conditioning, hot towels, trimming, shaping, sculpting, beard blowout and straight razor around the edges, don't forget the beard oil.
Estimated Shipping
October 2014
13 claimed

Beardsgaard T-Shirt

$50 USD
Cheap T-Shirts suck. Ours don't. They do of course feature Tir, the beard of Beardsgaard, but boasting more than just looks, they are also well-fitted, 100% organic cotton, and comfortable as hell. Just like our services in the shop, we don't skimp on the details. This perk also comes with a handwritten thank you note from the barbers and a Beardsgaard logo sticker.
Estimated Shipping
December 2014
2 claimed

Beardsgaard Shaving Bowl

$60 USD
Even if you can't make it into the shop for a shave, whipping up your own shaving lather at home makes shaving a treat. We have commissioned a potter to create shave bowls to our exact specifications with an unglazed base to prevent slippage (glaze colors vary) and an interior swirl to build a big, buttery froth from your shaving cream or soap. Comes complete with a puck of Hudson Made Beard & Shave Soap in your choice of three scents, thank you note and a Beardsgaard logo sticker
Estimated Shipping
December 2014
0 out of 24 of claimed

Shave Party

$500 USD
This is pretty much the ultimate barbershop experience, and not just for you. Bring up to five friends along for haircuts, shaves, beardwork and styling. We will even have food and beverages waiting for you, and a Beardsgaard T-Shirt to take home. It's the perfect way to start a bachelor party or wedding day, so feel free to bring your photographer along for photos with your guys in the shop!
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
0 claimed

Married by the Electric Priest

$1,000 USD
Tyler is an ordained minister who specializes in truly personal, unique, offbeat, non-traditional ceremonies. He also comes with all of his barbering tools to get the groom and his gents looking their most dapper, and has some surprisingly groovy moves on the dance floor. This perk requires six month's notice, and is subject to availability. Travel expenses are included in your contribution if event is within a 100-mile radius of Batavia, IL.
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
0 out of 10 of claimed

Shave Club Valhalla

$5,000 USD
For the true wet shaving connoisseur, the highest perk in the land. You receive: - Beautiful high-end straight razor - Silvertip Badger shave brush - Shave bowl & soap - Water hone - Russian Leather strop Approximately a $750 value, all waiting at the shop to be used only on you for your shaves on us, as many as you want, for a year (up to a $6,500 value). At the end of that year, receive a personal shaving class with the barbers ($50 value) before you take your beautiful toys home with yo
Estimated Shipping
January 2015
0 claimed
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