He started cutting teammates’ hair as a college athlete and now owns a barbershop in eastern Idaho
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Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
Swan Valley man opens barbershop in Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS – Opening a barbershop is more than just a business venture for Christian Meyer. It’s a combination of memories and life experiences that showcase his unique interests and heritage.
In February, the 32-year-old Swan Valley man opened Kicks & Fades Barbering Co. at 2079 East 17th Street inside Teton Village in Idaho Falls. He and his financial partner, Jeff Meyer — who is also his dad — will have an official grand opening on Monday.
The sports-themed barbershop is a throwback to Christian’s favorite hobbies as a kid. The walls are adorned with jerseys of his favorite sports teams, some of which have special memories attached to them. Christian shares some of them in the video above.
Christian is also a self-described “sneaker head.” The back of the shop has an assortment of shoes customers can buy. He loves highlighting customers’ footwear on social media.
Other members of his family will play a role as well. One corner of the shop will have clothing for sale designed by his sister, Devreigh. First-time customers will get a free T-shirt with the company logo on it.
“I’ll be selling street-style clothing,” Devreigh says. “We are still working on getting our design printed, and eventually I would like to open my own shop.”
Christian’s grandfather owned a candy store in Colorado for many years and had his own recipe for caramel corn. Patrons can buy a small bag of homemade caramel corn inside Christian’s shop.
Christian, who moved to the area about six months ago, tells EastIdahoNews.com he’s thrilled to be doing business in eastern Idaho.
“It’s been nine years in the making,” Christian says. “I never was happy working for someone else. I made it my goal to open my own shop. We’re here now and I’m really excited.”
Though becoming a barber wasn’t his original goal, it’s an occupation that’s blessed his life and brought him a sense of fulfillment he never knew was possible.
His story begins in Greeley, Colorado, where he grew up. He’s loved sports from an early age, and his dad was his high school basketball coach.
He eventually earned a scholarship to Western Nebraska Community College to play basketball and soccer. It was during this time he developed an interest in cutting hair.
“I had a friend on the baseball team who was a really good barber, and he started teaching me how to cut hair,” Christian says. “I would cut all my teammates’ hair. I would just say, ‘Meet us in the locker room.’ We’d cut all the athletes’ hair, and I fell in love with it.”
A collision with a drunk driver during his junior year of college resulted in a back injury that ruined his athletic career. This forced Christian to find something to fall back on.
Not being able to play basketball was devastating to him at the time.
Recalling how much he loved cutting hair, he decided to pursue barbering. He got his barbering license and worked as a professional barber in Colorado for about nine years.
His mom, who grew up in eastern Idaho, wanted to move back home and Christian decided to relocate with his parents last year.
Jeff, who works as a sports performance coach and recently published a book, provided the capital to help Christian open his barbershop.
More than a decade after launching his barbering career, Christian says it’s the interaction with customers that makes it rewarding.
“Seeing how people feel about themselves afterwards and being able to change their day (makes me happy),” he says.
During the grand opening, Christian is planning to have food vendors and masseuses on-hand for customers.
The environment of his barbershop is different from others, Christian says, and he’s looking forward to increasing his clientele and watching the business grow.
Christian worked with Randy Waters at SVN High Desert Commercial in acquiring the Teton Village space.
Kicks & Fades Barbering Co. is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
BIZ BITS
Bank of Commerce hires new branch manager
SHELLEY – The Bank of Commerce recently announced that Steve Barnard has been named manager at the Shelley Branch.
Bernard has been a lender at The Bank of Commerce for 12 years and has worked in the Shelley location for the last six years.
“We’re thrilled to have Steve in this new role,” says Mike Morrison, President and CEO of The Bank of Commerce. “He’ll do an outstanding job as manager.”
The Bank of Commerce is a full-service community bank and has been serving southeastern Idaho and western Montana since 1959. The locally owned and operated bank has 16 locations and specializes in small business, agriculture, and commercial real estate lending.
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