While you may or may not love your hair, you can at least feel the love for the people who cut it – or in this case, give it a tight buzz.
That’s where The Loving Barbers Co. come in.
Visitors to The Forks, the city’s most-visited tourism destination, will now notice a spinning barber’s poll beckoning from the second floor just above the main part of the market. Past this pole you’ll find the new (and third) location of The Loving Barbers, a much-loved Winnipeg brand where owner Wes Capulong and his team are always at the ready to shave and stylize your shag.
Being at The Forks, walk-ins are most certainly welcome, with Capulong stating, “we always want to make it so we can accommodate anyone. We’ll never turn anyone away, and if there is is a bit of wait – usually it’d just be 30 minutes max – you have so much to take in while you wait for a chair.”
For instance, while waiting for a cut you could do drinks from The Common (the wine and beer bar located below in the market and outside on the patio); get a bite to eat from the many food kiosks; buy a new book from McNally Robinson next door; or take a stroll past the countless attractions The Forks has on offer.
And yes, this being The Forks Market, which is covered under one liquor license, this means you can bring your glass of wine or beer in with you from The Common to enjoy while getting your cut.
Having only been open since late-June, this new Loving location already has become part of The Forks experience.
“At least 35 to 40 per cent of our clientele has been tourists – especially on weekends,” said Capulong.
“We get people coming in off the trains while people visiting for a couple days [staying in the surrounding hotels] have been popping in in the morning. So that’s been a great response for us and something we are always looking forward to get, as barber shops often tend to be such community-based businesses,” continued Capulong.
“So it’s nice that we get to extend beyond that; that people can have a taste of what we offer because this whole brand is a labour built on my family’s history.”
Indeed, hair cutting is in Capulong’s roots (#nopunintended). His mom used to run a shop out of the family’s basement in the St. James neighbourhood, while his older brother has been in the business for 20 years. Wes, a father of three, whose kids range from two to 20, has been cutting hair for 12 years, originally getting his start after hair styling school with his brother in Calgary where they co-owned a shop.
At the new Forks location, you can get the full gamut of barbershop treatments, including regular cuts, kids’ cuts, quick buzz cuts, beard trims and straight razor shaves.
They also sell their own line of Heartbreaker products exclusively at the shop.
And as to that name, and all that love:
“The name is an ode to my grandmother, who passed away in 2009,” said Capulong.
“My mom moved here in the mid-60s from Manila – it was her dream to come to Canada – and they brought my grandparents over too. When we were growing up my grandparents ended up raising all us grandchildren while all our parents worked.
When she [Capulong’s grandma] was on her deathbed, she kept repeating the words, ‘love always.’ At that time, I was also going through something in my personal life too and it just became our moto to love, and put love into everything moving forward.”
The Loving Barbers is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday inside The Forks Market. You can book online here while walk-ins, as mentioned, are always welcome.