Lucky’s Barbershop is one step closer to (hair) world domination

By Tim Goodwin - Mar 17, 2015 | 0 comments

No barbershop is complete without old stuff on the wall.

At Lucky’s, you can get your shoes shined while sitting next to this lovely lady.

While waiting for your trim, curling up to the fireplace with a good book is an excellent option.

Lucky’s Barbershop & Shave Parlor may look a little different the next time you stop in to get your mop chopped.

Barbers Josh Craggy, Ian Bergeron and James Carroll do their hair cutting thing.

You might do a quick double take if you haven’t been to Lucky’s Barbershop & Shave Parlor for a fresh cut recently. Don’t worry, owner Josh Craggy won’t hold it against you, because you aren’t the first and likely won’t be the last.

Even though it’s been a little while since the business’s renovation and expansion were completed (around Thanksgiving to be more accurate), some of the shop’s loyal customers just haven’t needed their mops chopped. It is winter after all, when we let our hair grow a little longer and beards the same.

“Every day we’re still getting people coming in and saying ‘this is cool,’ ” Craggy said.

And for those who decide to give Lucky’s a try for the first time, you’ll likely have no idea that anything has changed since the place opened seven years ago, because it all looks as though it was done at the same time. That’s partly why it took three years for the expansion project to be done – also because Craggy did a lot of the work himself on nights and weekends.

“We’ve been slowly working on it. Originally, I thought it would be much quicker, but it worked out,” Craggy said. “I didn’t want it to feel like two different shops. I wanted it to feel organic. Like it was always that way.”

Before, there were four old school barber chairs to the right as you walked in the front door of the South State Street shop and a long bench to the left to wait your turn, since Lucky’s is a walk-in only, first come, first served kind of establishment. Each station was and still is complete with a large mirror and sink, designed in vintage barbershop red and white that is probably reminiscent of the days when barbershops ruled the world – at least when it came to cutting hair and shaving faces.

Now, the long bench is gone and four more chairs, sinks and mirrors have taken it’s place, matching the existing look to a T. And these aren’t just any chairs. These chairs are almost 100 years old, and Craggy has driven to places like Baltimore, New York City, Boston, Maine and Bedford to collect all eight. They’ve stood the test of time and give Lucky’s the feel Craggy wants.

“These chairs were so well made,” Craggy said. “They had to literally destroy them to keep them out of the hands of barbers when they took them out of shops.”

And you might be wondering where all those customers get to wait for their name to be next on the white dry erase board? Well, Craggy turned what has always been part of his shop (and for the previous three years was used as a storage space for the expansion materials) into a luxurious sitting area. There are now two long benches, along with a shoe shine station and the lady of Lucky’s.

“She’s been here the whole time,” Craggy said. “She’s kind of like our cigar store Indian.”

Craggy built a nearly full wall bookcase, complete with plenty of reading material, and a fireplace. But some still want to hang out in the front room, and Craggy has no issues with the “new” chairs being used for conversation.

“We’re a little different than other places,” Craggy said. “We offer something different than the average place.”

The goal eventually is to have enough barbers to fill those chairs, but Craggy doesn’t want to just hire anybody. It’s about finding the right fit. Currently, there are four full timers (including Craggy) and one part timer to cover the seven days a week Lucky’s has been open for the last year after adding hours on Sunday and Monday.

“We’re so tight knit,” Craggy said. “Another couple guys would be great, but we made a rule a long time ago that quality ruled over quantity.”

When Craggy decided to branch out on his own seven years ago, the South State Street spot he chose had been office space for many years. At that point, he thought four chairs would be just fine, but the popularity warranted the expansion. To put it onto perspective, just last Wednesday, there were nine people waiting at the door when he got there to open the shop at 7 a.m., and just about the same between the chairs and waiting area around lunch time.

“You’re providing a service that people can’t provide themselves,” Craggy said. “You wan to give them something special they can’t give themselves.”

But outside of the new look, nothing else has changed. It still has that same vintage barbershop feel with old school decor and the work attire of shirts, ties and vests to match.

And if you don’t want to take our word for it, check it out for yourself. Just be prepared to stay a while and leave looking like a brand new person.