The chairs are in, the scissors are sharp, the mirrors are up and the doors are open at The Loving Barbers Company!
The barbershop has opened its third Winnipeg location on the second floor of the market, right beside McNally Robinson, and specializes in short haircuts and facial hair maintenance (including offering their very own grooming product line, Heartbreaker, only available in their shops!)
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Owner Wes Capulong has grown up in the personal service industry; his mom cut hair when he was a kid, and his brother, who is just nine months older than him, is also a barber. Funnily enough, Wes didn’t have any desire to be in the family business until his brother talked him into going to hair styling school so they could open a salon/barber shop together in Calgary, where his brother lives.
Eventually, Wes wanted to move back to Winnipeg, so he sold his half of the shop back to his brother and started work on opening his own space in Winnipeg. Five years later (and many moves), Wes now has three shops under The Loving Barbers umbrella; one on Corydon Avenue, one on Portage Avenue and now one in our market!
And now you might be asking yourself why it’s called The Loving Barbers; well, Wes — a 39-year-old dad of three — has a beautiful reason for that.
One day his grandmother, who basically raised him and his many cousins while their parents were working, had some wise words to share.
“I was just going through my own personal stuff and trying to figure out who I am… she had a conversation with me and told me to use love as a guiding factor in your life and to show my daughter and cousins that. At that time I was thinking about opening my own shop, so it was fitting that I used that as the name of the shop, The Loving Barbers Company,” Wes says.
And it’s not just a name; Wes and his team take great pride in making every customer who walks through the doors feel the love through the services they offer and the community atmosphere they create.
The Loving Barbers also gives back, mentoring and training young stylists fresh out of school by bringing them in to shadow current team members and giving them a chair to hone their skills in a safe, encouraging environment.
These initiatives and the family-rooted vibe of his barbershop are what Wes feels makes The Loving Barbers such a great fit for The Forks.
“I used to always say that something in the personal service industry would do well here, because I come here with my kids, I come on Sunday morning for a coffee with my two-year-old and walk around while my wife looks at stuff… I know that getting a haircut while your spouse is walking around is a beneficial way to use your time,” Wes says.
“And it’s young families now, that’s who is here, and The Forks is embracing local businesses. I just see the opportunity here and it’s great to be the first one in here of our kind… It’s been such a positive experience so far; we’re here and it’s exciting.”
For more information about the services offered by The Loving Barbers or to book an appointment (walk-ins are also welcome!), visit lovingbarbers.com.