High Road — New Barbershop On Hope Street

Whether you need a full shave or just a clean up, take yourself to the new High Road Barbershop on Hope Street and Gilbert will get you squared away. Originally from Cape Cod, Gilbert had been cutting hair up in Boston for almost a decade before relocating down here. July 15th was opening day. I barged in on him on yesterday.

High Road identifies as “The barbershop for everyone” on the IG page so I asked what services are on offer:

Anyone who wants a clean haircut that’s somewhere in the realm of barbering .  . I do short tight cuts, I do longer layered cuts, beard trims — whether it’s a mountain man that just needs shaping or a face shave all the way down to nothing — pretty much everything that’s always been a part of barbering. [No teeth extractions, I checked.]

We got to talking about the vintage barber chairs, which were independently sourced out of South Philadelphia, Chicago, and the one up front comes from New Jersey with a compelling backstory.

Allegedly, Malcolm X sat in this chair at the Continental Hotel where this chair originally came from — it has The Continental written on the bottom — but they did technically have two in that shop, so maybe can’t prove whether it was this one or the other, but I like to have a little bit of faith.

I just want that to be true.

Gilbert (actually Jonathan Gilbert, but everyone including his family just calls him Gilbert) carries a full line of products including: beard balm, pomade (for a high shine), and matte clay (for a firm hold without a shine). And there is that reassuring jar of blue Barbicide on the counter — the man is a professional.

Closed Sundays. Walk-ins welcome.

The shop sits between The Camera Werks and Pizzico Oyster Bar — look for the spinning barber pole!

High Road Barbershop, 764 1/2 Hope Street, (directions)

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“The Continental”

High Road