ORANGE \u2014 The owner of the newest barber shop in town is the first to admit, \u201cI\u2019m a barber who doesn\u2019t look like a barber,\u201d because his meticulously trimmed locks are down to his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But customers say Matt Conklin can work wonders with his scissors, clippers, shaves and he\u2019s old school all around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to haircuts, Conklin, 36, is offering beard-trimming and straight razor shaves with hot towels, an art that appears to be disappearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always wanted a place where all the generations come in. Grandfather, father and the son,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to limit myself to one type of cut, hairstyle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More News<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also loves the chatting about sports, current events, happenings around town \u2014 and especially the older school guys, \u201cbecause they have a lot of cool stories to tell you about life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He grew up in Orange, and opened Matt\u2019s Barber Shop, 288 Boston Post Road, right next to Knight\u2019s Inc. at the end of June after 15 years in the business working for someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conklin operates in a small, immaculate, 375-square-foot remodeled space with relaxing earth tone walls and strives to be \u201ca local neighborhood barber shop,\u201d in hopes, he said of barbering people of all ages, as he has the skills. He has three barber chairs in hope of adding staff down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was hired at Hero Barbershop in Newtown, right out of a barbering school, connected to the business and stayed until opening his own shop, saying he learned a lot while there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conklin\u2019s hair had always been short, but then a few years ago co-workers had a contest to see who could go longest without cutting their hair. Conklin liked the long hair, and, \u201cThen I met my girlfriend while I had the long hair and I figured she might not like me if I cut it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\u2019s still his girlfriend and helped design the shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People comment on the irony of his long hair all the time, and \u201cI just kind of chuckle,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Longtime customer Spencer Palmer said Conklin is the only person he trusts to cut his hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe does excellent work and I always leave the chair feeling like I got the best possible haircut available,\u201d Palmer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been going to him for over 7 years and in that time I\u2019ve received numerous compliments about my hair. People always ask me where I got my hair cut,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cMatt is also very easy to talk to and it feels like I\u2019m spending time with a friend rather than just getting my hair cut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrew Anziano, a close friend and client of Conklin\u2019s, who was in for a haircut and hot towel shave recently, has been a client for years, but would have been sooner if he hadn\u2019t felt a sense of loyalty to another barber who has since switched careers. Conklin encouraged his friend to keep that bond even though it was one less customer for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anziano said he likes that Conklin \u201cdoes a lot of blending with scissors,\u201d while many other barbers stick with \u201cbuzzers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also likes the close shaves, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s a nice feeling \u2014 sometimes you have to pamper yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Conklin \u201ctakes his time\u201d and they also love talking the Giants and Yankees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anziano likes Conklin\u2019s long hair as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI always said, \u2018Don\u2019t trust a skinny chef or a bald barber,\u201d Anziano said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Conklin admits, \u201cI\u2019ve been cutting my own hair and buzzing friends in the back yard for years, \u201c he never set out to be a barber or stylist. He was just trying to save his parents money by doing his own hair all those years for the price of $30 clippers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He graduated from Amity Regional High School and wanted to be a zookeeper or marine biologist, as he loves animal, but things change at that age. He didn\u2019t finish college, worked with the disabled for a few years, then heard about the barber school \u2014 it piqued his interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soft spoken Conklin hasn\u2019t missed a beat in the profession since, keeping up with all the latest styles and even teaching others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He intended to open a shop after school, but stayed at Hero, then decided to take the leap when they changed their business model to stylists renting chairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I thought if I\u2019m going to have the responsibilities of my own business, I should just have my own business,\u201d he said. Conklin said his parents happily gave him a loan to open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m loving it,\u201d he said of the business. \u201cEvery week it seems to do a little better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He carries only one line of hair product: Johnny Slicks, all natural shampoo, conditioner, styling substance, saying he chose the line in part because it\u2019s veteran owned and an American company that makes everything in small batches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matt\u2019s Barber Shop is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 10 am to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ORANGE \u2014 The owner of the newest barber shop in town is the first to admit, \u201cI\u2019m a barber who doesn\u2019t look like a barber,\u201d because his meticulously trimmed locks are down to his shoulders. But customers say Matt Conklin can work wonders with his scissors, clippers, shaves and he\u2019s old school all around. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n