The Coming Together of FRESH & The Get Down

For our third anniversary this year, we opened the long-awaited other side of the business — the barbershop. 

As many of us know, barbershops are an integral part of any community, but specifically our community. Barbering goes back to Ancient Greece and Egypt, but the type of barbershops we’re talking about started flourishing in America during the 1800’s. 

These barbershops became the spaces where men could spend time, politic, and of course, make sure they stayed looking FRESH. These were places where folks could talk about things that they couldn’t outside the chair, and generally speaking — what was said in the barbershop, stayed in the barbershop. All to say, this was a safe space for men to be men. 

The first barber school was established in Chicago in 1893, and many more came throughout the midwest and United States in following years. With more barber schools inevitably came more barbershops, but we couldn’t have anticipated how important these businesses would become for communities. That safe space has become a key part of neighborhoods. 

We call the barbershop the “other side of the business” because it has always been a part of The Get Down, even though it’s been closed for the past few years. This corner was a barbershop before it was a coffee shop; and the community, gathering, and conversations that came with the barbershop have been present on this corner since the day Houston White’s Men’s Room was started. 

The collective energy that upheld the space when HWMR held barbershop get-togethers at night, or community gatherings during the day, is still present on this corner and we’re excited to tap back in to that. 

We bring everything back together, because that’s what cultural collision is. The cafe has served as a touchpoint with Camdentown, working to build a bridge between the coffee world and the North Minneapolis community; because, we deserve good coffee too. However, a crucial piece that the barbershop brings to this picture has been missing in the past three years, and it’s a part of the mission that we are so happy to have back. 

Houston White’s Men’s Room re-opened as FRESH on Black Friday 2024, and now we bring that irreplaceable energy and presence of the barbershop back to Camdentown and back to The Get Down. 

Come through for a cut — and enjoy the vibes, community and coffee that comes with it.