Lucky's Barbershop and Shave Parlor hit the ground running last February and since owners Josh Craggy and Jimmy Lightholder opened the doors the buzzing hasn't stopped. The two longtime friends and barber school graduates opened Lucky's after paying their dues together down at another barbershop. The success was unexpected.
“By 9 or 10 the first morning there must have been about 15 people waiting. Since then it's been awesome,” Josh said.
Lucky's is doing things a little differently while sticking to the tried and true methods.
The floors are tiled red and white checkerboard style. The walls are lined with vintage hair product advertisements and antique barbershop equipment. The chairs, which Josh and Jimmy traveled to Baltimore to acquire, are straight from the 1920s. As the sweet comforting aroma of talcum powder grazes your senses, you realize that you are somewhere you belong.
“We're all about building relationships with people, and as long as we're alive and have anything to do with the shop, it will always be your neighborhood barbershop.”
These relationships serve as the foundation for the shop's success. Lucky's operates on a word-of-mouth basis that transcends the customer-barber relationship. Josh hopes it will be around long after he and Jimmy are gone.
“If Jimmy and I are dead and gone and this shop is still standing and there's people still carrying it on, that would be the coolest thing in the world,” he said. “I think we built a timeless shop. I think a hundred years before today people would like it, and a hundred years after today, people will like it.”
Lucky's is only 15 months into its existence, it is already well on its way to becoming a landmark. Walk in at any time of the day and you can find yourself waiting as long as an hour for a haircut, which is why Josh and Jimmy have employed two close friends to help lighten the load. The guys at Lucky's love what they do, and it shows in every aspect of the shop. This love goes beyond the front doors and well into the community.
“Growing up here, you kind of take it for granted but I love this town and this is my home,” Josh said. “I don't see myself ever living anywhere else.”
