Long-time Federal Way barbershop offers fine grooming experience

Though ownership has changed hands and the name has been changed, 1634 Dash Point Rd. has been a barber shop for 50 years, and some original customers still drop in for a haircut or shave.

July 11, 2014 4:41 pm
David St. John shaves a customer at the 50-year-old barber shop
David St. John shaves a customer at the 50-year-old barber shop

 

Though ownership has changed hands and the name has been changed, 1634 Dash Point Rd. has been a barber shop for 50 years, and some original customers still drop in for a haircut or shave.

David St. John has owned Gents Fine Grooming for Men for 12 years, though when he first took over the shop he called it simply The Barber Shop.

St. John grew up in Illinois in a family of coal miners, and he knew one thing: “I didn’t want to be a coal miner,” he said.
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For the last 34 years, St. John has worked to build relationships with clients and sharpen his barber skills.

“We’re very much about the relationship with our guests,” he said.

Gents has been recognized as the best barber shop in Federal Way for eight years.

Though Gents offers a more expensive service than a chain salon or barber shop, there is also more to the experience, he said. Clients can get a scalp massage, hair cut and a shave, he said.

In addition to customers who have come to the same location since the ’60s, St. John also has customers who drive from Bellingham and Portland for a Gents cut, which speaks volumes about the Gents experience, he said.

“We have a niche business,” St. John said.

His team comprises employees who have a servant’s heart and are team players, he said. His team is essential to the shop, he said.

“You’re only as successful as your people.”

Though every business wants more customers, not every person is the ideal customer, St. John said.

But for customers willing to pay a little more for a good experience, people say Gents is the place to go, he said.

Gents Fine Grooming for Men is located at 1634 Dash Point Rd. It is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, visit gentsfinegrooming.net.