Longtime Baton Rouge barber Nissan Ballard has moved his upscale barber shop, The Grooming Parlor Barber Spa, to Mid City and is debuting his own line of grooming products.
Ballard has been offering precision haircuts, shaving and grooming services in Baton Rouge since 2001. His former business was located downtown, but after his home flooded in 2016 Ballard decided to relocate and was drawn to the Mid City area, where he says he saw a movement afoot and was welcomed by other businesses like Radio Bar, which has invited Ballard to do pop-up barber shops.
“Mid City just picked me up,” he says. “I decided to invest in Mid City.”
His new location at 5243 Government St. held a soft opening in late January and a grand opening Feb. 16. Ballard is already booked two weeks out. He says he sees at least 100 clients a week, many of whom are regulars who have stayed with Ballard since the move.
Although Ballard has been a solo act for years, his new shop has room for two more barbers. When he started out, Ballard set up his first location for eight operators but eventually downsized after struggling to find employees who not only shared his passion but could also generate enough revenue to cover expenses. Now that he has established himself and the culture he envisioned for his shop, Ballard says, he’s ready to bring on more barbers.
Ballard describes his new Government Street location as a high-end barber shop. The Grooming Parlor takes appointments only, offers a complimentary bar and has its own product line. Customers come not only for the services but also for the aesthetics and socialization, Ballard says.
“Men can network here,” he says.
His new product line, called Connoisseur Grooming Squad, includes a beard oil, beard balm, soap, after-shave balm, shave gel and pre-shave oil. Ballard makes the products himself, which he says are all natural and organic, and has been selling them in-store and online since August.
“It’s going well,” Ballard says. “I can’t release numbers, but they’re pretty good.”
