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Barbering by Marcus

Opening Hours
Today: 9am–8pm
Sat:
9am–4pm
Sun:
Closed
Mon:
9am–8pm
Tues:
9am–8pm
Wed:
9am–8pm
Thurs:
9am–8pm
Location
38 East 21st Street
Neighborhoods
Barbering by Marcus 1 Barber Shops Flatiron

Since its inception, Barbering by Marcus has been focused on providing great customer service to its patrons, manager Melissa explained as she began describing the story behind their shop. She described it as a “boutique men’s salon,” rather than a barber shop. Customers come to be pampered, and the staff makes that happen. From the second men are checked in to the time they walk out, Barbering by Marcus ensures the highest quality treatment. People are served their choice of beer, bourbon, and other drinks while their hair is being cut, and they can even take a nap in the salon’s comfortable chairs, which fully recline.

Both Melissa and Marcus are from Guyana, a small country in northern South America. They opened up the salon together in April 2011. Marcus had spent time working at Barber Bart, a shop just across the street. With years of experience under his belt, he decided to start cutting hair on his own, with Melissa running the business side of the store.

The salon makes sure that everything runs on time. "At other barber shops and hair salons, haircutters often run over time and disrupt a customer’s schedule," Melissa said. Barbering by Marcus prides itself on trying to keep virtually every appointment to its allotted time. “It’s New York City. Everyone’s on the go, so we keep to our schedule,” she explained. The salon holds its customers to the same strict sense of time. If someone is more than ten minutes late to their appointment, they are rescheduled so that other customers’ appointments are on time. The staff’s attention to detail has not gone unnoticed; many of their customers have been regulars for years, and the stylists know their exact preferences - even their drink orders.

Location
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Barbering by Marcus 1 Barber Shops Flatiron
Barbering by Marcus 2 Barber Shops Flatiron
Barbering by Marcus 3 Barber Shops Flatiron
Barbering by Marcus 4 Barber Shops Flatiron
Barbering by Marcus 5 Barber Shops Flatiron
Barbering by Marcus 6 Barber Shops Flatiron

More places on 21st Street

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Merakia 1 Mediterranean Greek undefined

Merakia

Merakia occupies the space that housed Kat & Theo from 2015-2017 - and while the restaurant maintains the same ownership as before, it also has a different mission. The modern Greek steakhouse prides itself on its meats and classic seafood items, while maintaining a classy, hip atmosphere in its cavernous space on 21st Street. “We built a new team… and a new vision, ” managing partner James Paloumbis shared with the Manhattan Sideways team when he spoke of the switch from Kat & Theo. He then went on to highlight Merakia’s differences from other Greek restaurants. “It’s not white and blue like every other place in New York City. Our menu is not the copy paste of any other place. ” The menu is heavy on steaks and seafood, boasting their signature lamb on the spit ("the only restaurant in the city to do so") while, surprisingly, offering some robust meat-free options as well. “Everything is farm to table, we use fresh ingredients, [and] we make everything from scratch on a daily basis. ” James told us that part of his mission is to bring back the adventure of going out to eat, a phenomenon he has noticed declining over the years. “People don’t like to go out anymore just to eat. You can eat at home, you can eat down the street, you can order your meal online. But to get an experience of nice service, some nice flavors, nice music, nice drinks - it’s worth your while to go out again. ” Husband and wife team behind Kat & Theo - Renee and Andreas Typaldos - seem to have orchestrated a smooth transition from their previous restaurant. As their past executive chef, Paras Shah, believed, "there should be a movie written about the couple's romantic backstory and that he “couldn’t have worked for better folks. ” Andy is originally from Greece, and the restaurant was named after his parents, Katerina and Theodosios. Andy came to New York on a scholarship from Columbia and met Renee, who is from the Bronx. He took her out on a first date “with holes in his shoes and with no winter jacket, ” according to Renee. She added, “The romantic, poetic way people get together. ” Today, they are paying homage to Andy's Greek heritage and according to James, “People have to trust their stomachs and their palates with a restaurant, so that’s what we’re trying to do here. Trust us - our food is fresh, our food is made with care, and we love what we do. ”