Our Story
BUILT ONE CHAIR AT A TIME
How We Started
FROM ONE RENTED CHAIR TO A NEIGHBORHOOD FIXTURE
Ember & Iron started in 2014 as a single rented chair inside a hardware store on Foundry Row. Marcus Reyes was cutting hair on lunch breaks and Saturdays, building a client list one referral at a time.
By 2018 the waitlist had outgrown the back corner of the hardware store, so the shop moved two doors down into the space it still holds today — four chairs, a proper wait area, and a front window that still catches the morning light.
The name came later, born out of a conversation about what the shop was actually built from: the warm amber glow of a straight razor honed by hand, and the steady, unbending standard behind every chair in the room.
I DIDN’T WANT TO OPEN A SALON. I WANTED TO OPEN THE KIND OF BARBERSHOP I GREW UP SITTING IN.
Marcus Reyes, Founder
- Founded
- 2014
- Current Location Since
- 2018
- Barbers on the Floor
- 4
- Neighborhood
- Foundry Row
Our Philosophy
CRAFT OVER SHORTCUTS
A haircut is quick to give and quick to forget if it’s average. We’d rather take the extra five minutes and have you thinking about it a month later.
Two-Year Apprenticeship
Every barber trains under a senior chair for two full years — cutting, shaving, and sweeping floors — before they’re handed a chair of their own.
Razor Care Ritual
Straight razors are stropped before every shave and professionally honed each week. A dull blade is the one thing you’ll never feel here.
No Clock-Watching
Services take as long as they need to. We’d rather run ten minutes behind than send you out with a rushed line.
The Atmosphere
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO SIT DOWN
Ember & Iron runs on conversation as much as it runs on clippers. Regulars argue about the game from the next chair over, the coffee’s always on, and nobody’s checking a screen behind the counter. It’s loud when it should be and quiet when you need it to be — you just have to ask.
What You’ll Find
- A straight-razor neckline on every single cut
- Hot towels, every time, no upcharge
- Barbers who remember your usual
- A shop that opens on time, every time
What You Won’t
- Upselling on product you didn’t ask about
- A twenty-minute wait with no chair in sight
- Rushed lines because the next client is early
- Anyone touching your beard without asking first
COME SEE IT FOR YOURSELF
The best way to understand Ember & Iron is to sit in the chair. Stop by, or lock in a time that works for you.