A few years ago, I wrote a note to myself that I wanted to spread the word and hype some of my favorite small businesses/business owners. I want people to experience what I feel when I visit these special places.

 

 

 

 

01.28.2024

 

 

 

 

Every two weeks I get an hour of me time that goes beyond getting tight and right, but that time also serves as an energy reset. The hair is important but it’s the environment that Doug & Apt. 3 create during a chaotic week that shifts things for me. It’s therapeutic. It’s restorative. Yes, my hair looks good after, but I FEEL even better. 

 

And that is why Apt 3 is my first ever…

 

 

 

 

 

NAME: Doug Paster

 

BIZ NAME: Apt. 3

Men’s Hair & Grooming Studio

 

TIME IN BIZ: 7 years

 

LOCATION: 141 S 5th St. Brooklyn, NY 11211

 

WEBSITE: DougWillCutYou.com

 

 

 

 

 

DP: I’ve been obsessed with hair my whole life. As a kid, I braided, cut, and styled the hair on my sister’s dolls. I can remember being in the 5th grade and secretly playing with hair gel in the bathroom and then washing it out so no one would know I was spending time styling my hair for fun. As a closeted gay kid, I was ashamed and didn’t want my parents to know I liked doing hair. So I wound up going to college and getting a degree and working a corporate job in the fashion industry for about 10 years. After becoming senior in my role, and looking at a promotion and a raise, I decided I didn’t want it. So I resigned, went to hair school, and started over in pursuit of the thing I’d been passionate about my whole life.

 

 

 

DP: When I started working for myself, I operated out of my apartment. I wanted to name and brand the business so it seemed like a legit operation to incoming clients. But I’m not the kind of guy who would put his name on the door. I lived in apartment three, I thought it sounded cool, and I figure as I grow and evolve and expand, I’ll take the Apt. 3’s name with me to remind me of where I’ve come from, keeping in touch with my roots.

 

 

 

DP: When someone gets out of the chair after the haircut, and I look at them from across the room right before they walk out the door. There’s something about seeing my work from a distance on someone in their normal clothes out from underneath the cape, away from my bright station lights. Sometimes I’m just like, “Wow I can’t believe I just did that.”  I also love running into clients out and about so I can see what my work looks like when they style it themselves out in the wild, and see how it’s wearing in.

 

 

 

DP: Honestly right now my biggest challenge is thinking about what to do with myself next. I love my current setup. And I love doing hair. But I do want to do more with myself. I’m just not sure what that looks like without compromising the experience I currently offer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DP: Like things a client does that would be a no-no? Oh, man. Let me just run a few off.

Be on time (too early and you can make your barber feel rushed. Too late and you’re just fucking with everyone’s time).

Sit still. Cutting hair properly is delicate and requires finesse. If you move your head around, reaching for your phone, etc., it makes my job difficult and it can get frustrating. And your haircuts going to pay the price. 

Come to your haircut sober. I get that this is your time to kick back and chill, but a drunk client isn't looking at the work through a clear lens, they’re unable to give clear direction or feedback, and they’re probably not going to be able to comfortably sit still.

Come prepared. Especially if it’s your first cut with a barber/stylist, you don’t want to say “Just do whatever you want.” You should have an idea of the length and how you want to wear your hair at the very least. Don't wait til the end to ask to go shorter. If you see your stylist not cutting enough hair off, don’t be afraid to call that out early on. Haircuts book on blocks of time, and if you wait til the end of the service to say you want it to be shorter, the stylist essentially has to redo your whole cut, and there’s never time for that. If you show up early, wait in the waiting area.

Don’t just help yourself to your barber’s empty chair. That enough? I can come up with more, haha.

 

 

 

DP: I’m sort of always absorbing the hair I see around me in life, in photography, TV/film, and social media. And it all kind of swirls around my mind and manifests in the work I produce. When I see things I like, I’m always contemplating how I’d recreate them. I’m always studying hair-cutting techniques of all lengths and genders, and I’m always researching products and styling methods. These are the things that keep my work evolving. I just see the world's hair first.

 

 

 

DP: I operate a private studio. Just me and my client. The service is an hour long. We have plenty of time to talk about the haircut before we get started, it’s a relaxed setting where you can come in, snag a drink from the fridge, say hi to Roger (my dog), and catch up with me a little before we get into it. I’ve always found barber shops and salons to give me anxiety. So I’ve come up with a relaxed experience. It smells good, the music is always a vibe, and I check in with my clients throughout the experience to make sure they’re feeling good about what’s happening on their head.

 

I also like getting to know people. So having a good chat can also help to put people at ease. Barber shops have made me feel like I’m going to get chewed up and spit out in 20 minutes, and I’ve never been confident that a salon stylist had much expertise with male-identifying clients compared to their longer-haired clients.

 

 

 

DP: Coffee and breakfast -> gym -> shower and get ready for work.  I find that when I like the way I feel and the way I look, my work is better for it. So I try to get good rest, get up early so I have time to wake up slowly, exercise, and style myself (hair and outfit). I compare it to those oxygen masks on an airplane. You’re supposed to put yours on before you help someone else with theirs. In the same way, I have to take care of myself so that I’m not concerned with the way I look or feel, and can focus 100% on making my clients look and feel as good/better.  But yeah, a typical workday is all about the work and my wellness. At the end of the day, I eat dinner, and unwind for about an hour, and then get to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DP: I have music on almost 24/7. It’s usually alternative R&B, or some intersection of that with indie pop, funk, and soul. Recently I’ve been vibing with Dijon. So radio or playlists that include him.

 

 

 

DP: I can do anything with a scissor and a comb. I have a pair of scissors that have become my workhorse They’re a bit longer, they have a lot of power, the tip is strong, and I can use them for every aspect of a haircut, and every technique.

 

 

 

DP: OMG, thanks!  There’s certainly a bit of a formula. Balancing colors, textures, proportions, etc.  I like to mix genres, like tailoring with utility, athletic with collegiate, old vintage with new and clean. I also subscribe to the idea of taking one thing off before I leave the house. Less is more. But honestly, In the same way that I’m always absorbing what I see happening around me in the context of hair, I do the same with style/outfitting. So when I get dressed, sometimes I just grab whatever is on the floor and it comes together. Sometimes I reference notes that I keep on outfit ideas and put more thought/intention behind them. I can’t explain where it comes from, I just have a strong opinion on what I think looks good. That applies to my work in a big way, but also to what I wear, as well as interior spaces a bit too. Give me the ugliest garment you can think of, and I’m gonna try to make it a vibe. I love a challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

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Listed by

Delyse Berry, Upstate Down RH

 

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