Friendly Barber Shop

Definitely friendly and great cuts!

Good first experience, bad second experience. Even though I read several of the negative reviews of this barber shop, I decided to try it anyway a few months ago, and actually had a good experience. I don’t know the name of the man who cut my hair, but he was kind, thorough, and attentive. The wait was a little long, but that wasn’t really the shop’s fault — I went in about an hour before closing on a Friday afternoon.
I went in again about a week and a half ago, and this time my experience was completely different. The barber (different guy) didn’t make any attempts at conversation, was rough with me when turning my head during the cut, really rushed through things; meanwhile an older man next to me getting a cut was complaining about how he left his church because his pastor had «canonized Michael Brown,» who he repeatedly called a «hooligan,» proceeded to blame young liberals and the media for police being shot at – and had his views validated by the younger man who had cut my hair last time. He went on to praise Dean Smith (naturally, this being Carrboro/​Chapel Hill) as one of the best people who ever lived, while simultaneously lamenting Smith’s liberalism. I won’t be returning to this shop myself, and I can’t even imagine setting foot in there if I were a person of color or a minority of any kind.
Additionally, while most reviews mention $ 13, then $ 15, cuts, the price has now increased to $ 18. It really is unfortunate, since this is a cool space in an old downtown building, but I can’t recommend it. Go somewhere else.

The haircutter is a bad haircutter, rude and was even racist. I do not recommend this place to anyone

This review comes after my third visit, which completely changed my opinion of the shop.
The first two times, I got a fantastic haircut from the guy with a barber pole tattooed on his forearm. He was friendly, and with just him, the shop name would fit.
Today, however, I got my hair cut by a sorry excuse for a man who couldn’t be any less tactful. I haven’t been treated as condescendingly or been criticized so directly since I got dragged into the principal’s office in fourth grade. Not even my ex has expressed such disdain. If you’re trying to pick out who this man might be, I’ll just say that his fashion sense died when Miami Vice got cancelled, and it probably didn’t work then. Then, if he opens his mouth, well, I’ll just say you better not bring any women in the shop (or anyone who even remotely considers women worthy of respect).
I thought I’d power through because perhaps he stays in business by cutting hair well. He failed at that too. I asked for him to leave an inch on the sides, and there can’t be more than ¹⁄₃ to ½ of an inch left. I said I didn’t want much off the top, if any, but he didn’t even transition. It looked like a stacked bob in the back. He didn’t even shave the back of my neck.
For the first time in my life, I had to go to a different shop to fix a haircut.
I would have given the shop five stars for the first guy, but the second is such a disgrace to the service industry that I wish I could give negative stars.

Stopped by on a Unilocal-​inspired whim because my hair was starting to resemble that of pre-«Girlfriend» Justin Bieber’s.
I’m a girl with short hair, and they were happy to chop my locks. The tall gentleman who cut my hair was very friendly, courteous, and attentive. He asked for my feedback throughout the process, and I was out the door in less than half an hour.
You can’t go wrong with $ 20 for a solid haircut.

Inexpensive ($ 15), homely atmosphere, gets the job done.

Took my son to get a haircut along with me. Exactly what we needed. Guys did a real good job! Definitely going back.

This was my first ever experience with a barber shop, and I must say, it was excellent. It’s nice to get out of the Norms of visiting either a salon or a Great Clips to get a haircut. Also, those places charge you more than what you walk away with, so it’s a dissatisfied customer experience. Friendly Barber Shop is simple. And that’s what makes it great. For a $ 15 cut, including the straight razor shave on your neck, I will not be getting my hair cut anywhere else in Chapel Hill/​Carrboro.

You know that American barber shop you picture in your head when someone says «traditional American Barber Shop»? It’s this place. Which is nice, if you like that sort of thing. I do like an old-​fashioned kind of place sometimes, so I thought it worth a go. Plus it’s very close to where I live.
The plus points: The place is clean and the staff are all polite and know what they’re doing; they all seem like guys that have been doing this a long time and they all just fit nicely into the place. If you like to talk sports, you’re sorted. The prices are good too.
Points off for not taking credit cards (I’m all for tradition but in an age where all you need is a smartphone and app, there’s really no excuse) but the guy did trust me to go get cash, which was very nice of him. Also knocked down to three stars for the guy interrupting my haircut to make a phone call. I cut him some slack because there was a storm rolling in and he wanted to give instructions to someone about securing stuff at his house but still, he could have said something to me before making the call, or even waited two minutes.
All in all, a good haircut and a not-​unpleasant experience. But probably not my first choice for the next haircut.

The barber shop my son and I frequent was closed for a holiday so we went here in a pinch.
My haircut was fine, but the guy in the middle (Russ?) was really rough with my 3 year old son who was just trying to sit as still as he possible could. At one point he yelled at him for «spitting on the barber smock» when he was trying to get hair out of his mouth. It was really awful and mean.
Look, I completely understand if you don’t want to cut a kid’s hair. I get that. But say that up front and I would have been happy to take his spot. Don’t invite him into your chair and then browbeat him for being 3.
We won’t be back.

Didn’t cut my hubby’s hair well. He has curly hair and they gave him a crew cut that really makes his curls frizz out and look weird. Needless to say he will not be going back.

I typically wait until I drive home to go to my local barber (but that’s 3 hrs away) due to the terrible cuts I’ve received from severals places in the area. I still haven’t figured out how you can do a bad job on my hair, but other places have managed to mess it up. I wasn’t able to wait 3 more weeks for a cut, so I gave this place a shot after reading the positive reviews here. This place was exactly what I was looking for and I couldn’t be happier with my cut. It’s an old school barber shop which shaves your neck with a straight razor, which is the primary reason I settled on this shop. A great value for $ 15 and I will certainly be back. I went in late Sat morning and the place was rather busy (but the wait was reasonable). I highly recommend the tall guy in the middle chair… A+

I like this place. A lot. Sort of old fashioned, if you like that sort of thing. I sort of want to write «sort of» one more time. Sort of.
If you got past the above mess, kudos! As I said, this place hearkens back to an earlier time. Think Norman Rockwell. I asked the guy for a trim and he asked me, «mild trim? or medium?» I got the medium trim.
This is the kind of place where both quiet strangers and talkative locals can both feel comfortable. I, for one, don’t feel compelled to talk to my barber, and that didn’t feel uncomfortable here.
I like the general overall vibe here and the service is also very good.

This place is old school in all the right ways. Rows of chairs await you inside the door; it’s first come first served. Haircuts are fast and good with as much or as little chi-​chat as you desire. Haircuts went up to $ 15 this year and include a hot shave for the back of your neck. Cash only.
Wait times can vary wildly. I’ve gone elsewhere in a pinch and usually regret it.

Old. School.
Straight-​up, no frills men’s barbershop that gets you in-​and-​out of the chair with a decent cut in about 10 minutes for only $ 13.
On Saturdays they’re usually running all 3 chairs, but expect to wait 30 – 45 minutes depending on when you arrive.
It can be easy to miss driving by – but they’ve marked one of the support posts out front with the distinctive red-​white-​blue striping. Its located just east of the bank.

I just want to preface this review by saying that I am an Asian male, and I think it was pretty obvious that the barber did not have much experience with Asian male hairstyles. That’s not really his fault given the population around here in the Chapel Hill area, but this would be good to know before going in if you are a part of this demographic. The fade I got was higher than I wanted, even after he asked me how I wanted it. It also wasn’t a very clean blend.
One other thing I didn’t like is how I was turned away from the mirror pretty much the whole time until the end. Maybe I’m just being nitpicky but I like to see how the haircut is going during the process.
Having said all this, this review is primarily geared towards Asian males looking to go here. I really don’t know if there are better options around (this is my first haircut in this area) and from the other reviewers it seems like they can do more standard cuts very well.
This place is definitely on the cheap side at $ 13. All in all, it was ok but I will be trying out other places before I come back here.

So I was in Chapel Hill last month for a few days, and I realized I needed a haircut. I wasn’t keen on spending $ 30 at a salon, so I turned to Unilocal.
Lo and behold, I see Friendly Barber Shop in Carrboro. I thought I would give it a try. Part of me misses the days of going to the old-​timey barbershop and spending less than $ 15 to get a haircut. I always got terrible haircuts when I was younger, and I likely looked like a big dork. That’s beside the point, though.
I drove over to Carrboro and for $ 13 got my haircut and got the hot shave on the back of my neck. It was a quick trim, and it looks pretty good. The barber didn’t make much chitchat, and I sort of felt a bit out of place, but that’s to be expected, I suppose. It was around 10:30 in the morning and I didn’t have to wait.
I’m sure if you’re a regular or perhaps a bit more ‘outgoing’ with the barbers it might be a bit more friendly, but it wasn’t horribly awkward or anything like that. I’m not very fussy, and they did exactly the sort of cut I wanted.

Golly, how quaint! This is a tiny little place with only a few chairs that look like they never left 1957. There was no wait when I went in and the staff was very friendly (albeit a bit bored). As a matter of fact, when I left, there was not a single customer in the place, so not having to wait seems to be a good bet. The girl who cut my hair even knew when to make polite barber chit-​chat and when to be quiet and let me relax (a quality only too rare in modern coiffure care).
The haircut I got was quick and exactly what I asked for (settle down ladies, you’ll all get a chance to run your fingers through it), so no complaints there. A surprising highlight: to finish up, the barber trimmed my neck with warm lather and a straight razor… Definitely not the norm, and a very nice touch. The prices are very reasonable.

This barber has been in Carrboro since the 1950’s. The original owner’s son now runs the place and they take pride in doing a good haircut and you leaving pleased. They are definitely experts in the field that has carried on for decades. You’ll find collages of UNC football & basketball leaflets and pictures all around the place to make you feel at home and comfortable.