Brian Spikes owns A Cut Above Hair Salon in Independent Square.
DO YOU HAVE TO WATCH E! ENTERTAINMENT IN ORDER TO STAY UP ON THE COOL NEW HAIRSTYLES?
“Definitely. My job involves a lot of watching television as well as movies — to see what the stars are doing. I also read a lot of magazines.
WHY DID YOU NAME IT “A CUT ABOVE?”
“An old girlfriend of mine — that was the name of her friend’s lawn service.”
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BARBER AND A HAIR STYLIST?
“It used to be that men were barbers and women were hair stylists but then, in the 1970’s, men started wearing their hair longer, and so the lines got blurry. Also, traditionally hair stylists could do nails, too. Now, they’re more or less combined.”
HOMETOWN
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CUT HAIR?
“When I moved to Jacksonville in 1986, most of the ads I saw in the paper were for cutting hair.”
DID YOU MOVE TO JACKSONVILLE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?
“No. I joined the Army after high school and spent three years in Germany. For two of those, I was in the service, for one I just hung out with my new German girlfriend, who I eventually married.”
ARE YOU STILL MARRIED?
No.
SO YOU REALLY LEARNED TO CUT HAIR IN THE MILITARY?
“Well, sort of. But then I want to school for a year in Florida to learn how to cut hair for normal people.”
WHY INDEPENDENT SQUARE?
“Same ex-girlfriend was working downtown and mentioned it to me. They were renovating the first two floors at the time and looking for people to fill it with retail. It seemed like a good idea. That was four years ago.”
WAS IT?
“Yeah, I don’t really have to stress about paying the bills anymore. We actually get more business from the Bank of America building though. Apparently, people don’t want their coworkers to see them getting their hair cut. People think it makes them appear vulnerable.”
VITAL STATISTICS
A Cut Above has two employees, Yasmin and Robbie, who came from Zino’s Hair Salon on Hogan St. They also have a part-time nail technician and they do have a tanning bed. Spikes would like to eventually offer massage. He just signed another five year lease, so he’s committed to Independent Square until 2007.
FUNNY HOW PEOPLE IN FLORIDA LIKE TO GET FAKE TANS, HUH?
“Pretty funny. When people go up north they want to tell their friends, “I live in Florida. Here’s my proof.”
GIRLS CARE ABOUT THEIR HAIR MORE THAN GUYS, RIGHT?
“Not really. It’s about the same. Actually, women are into consistency, guys like to change it up more.”
WHAT MAKES CUTTING HAIR DOWNTOWN DIFFERENT?
“Professional people demand quality and service. It’s actually much more about the personality of the person cutting the hair than the actual hair cut. People who work hard all day want to get away for a while and relax with someone they can talk to. But they’re tough customers.”
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THE SHAMPOOS AND STUFF?
“I’ve always carried Paul Mitchell. It’s kind of a standard. People like it and it’s an eye catcher. Robbie brought over Kiwi brand which smells like kiwis and has sunscreen. Yasmin brought Artec, which is sort of earthy and herbal. I want Nexus, too. You can actually get Biolage here, but it’s in the back.”
DO PEOPLE JUST POP IN FOR HAIR ADVICE?
Sure, like “I’m going to the beach, what do I do?”
YOU KEEP A BIBLE OPEN ON THE RESERVATIONS TABLE. ARE YOU VERY RELIGIOUS?
“I mean I’m Christian, but mostly it’s a good luck piece. In this day and age, lots of people need hope. The Bible is a nod to that.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR A CUT ABOVE?
“There’s a space down the hall that I really want. It’s bigger and if I can talk them down on rent then I can expand to make this more of a spa, with a jacuzzi and massage and tanning. People could come spend half a day, have a glass of wine. It would be nice.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE GET THERE HAIR CUT HERE ON AN AVERAGE DAY?
About 60 not including nine or 10 who come in for a tan.
IS SPIKES YOUR REAL NAME OR IS THAT A GIMMICK?
Real.
— by Sean McManus