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.
