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(Photo by Collin Richie)
Nissan Ballard
Owner/Master barber
The Grooming Parlor Barber Spa
WHAT THEY DO: Precision barber services for hair and straight-razor shaving
ADDRESS: thegroomingparlor.com
NEXT STEP: Develop for retail his own product line for men
The spa as haven
It pleases Nissan Ballard when his clients fall asleep. “From the moment they walk in the door, you want to take the stress away from a person and put them in a relaxed atmosphere away from their busy schedule,” he says. The owner of The Grooming Parlor Barber and Spa estimates that 95% of those who visit his Beauregard Town salon for his classic straight-razor shave nod off, lulled not just by the subdued atmosphere with background jazz, but also by the intimate, personalized treatment they receive. Since 2010, Ballard and his wife, Nicole, have operated the spa as a team. Ballard says, “She makes sure the customer service is there, that the books stay full; I make sure my services are performed in a timely fashion, and I give it 110 percent.” He shaves and gives “precision haircuts” strictly through appointments. “At 30-minute intervals, you’re in and you’re out,” he says firmly. “There’s never a wait.”
The turning point
The Grooming Parlor today is a leaner version of the business Ballard opened in 2006. With a $70,000 SBA loan, he located it in a 1,200-square-foot space set up for eight operators. “What I found was, it was just hard to get the staff I needed in order to turn enough revenue to cover expenses,” he says. He has a “passion” for barbering—“It’s a spiritual profession,” he says—and he couldn’t trust that those he hired all shared it. In 2008 he took part in an international hair show, where he displayed his razor technique but also absorbed advice to focus on his strengths: the cut and the shave. “It was just too big at first,” he says of the business. “I had to make a decision: We’re going to downsize … and concentrate on our niche.” Over two weeks in 2010, he moved into a 700-square-foot salon where he alone wields the tools of his trade. “I cut my overhead in half,” he says. “That’s when I could see my profits grow.”
Old meets new
The success of The Grooming Parlor reflects its owner’s dedication to old-world skills and his Digital Age savvy. A native of New Orleans, Ballard attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he played snare drum in the marching band and served as its unofficial barber. By the time he graduated in 1998 with a sociology degree, he’d acquired his license as a master barber and chosen his profession. In 2004 he became interested in straight-razor shaving, which no one in Baton Rouge was doing. He says, “I saw it as a niche I could tap back into,” and set about mastering the art with online guidance, practicing first on himself and then for free on customers. Currently, he offers two levels of his shave as well as precision haircuts. The business website he created on his own in 2006 allows clients to schedule their appointments through a link to an app called Vagaro. “I’ve always been attracted to technology,” he says.
The value of loyal clients
The spa’s percentile book reveals that 99% of clients show up. “I’m about 100 percent booked every week,” Ballard says, “and I have a waiting list every week.” Typically, The Grooming Parlor’s schedule is full two weeks in advance, he adds. With repeat business being the norm, he views the salon as “a club”—but an open one. New clients are frequently referred to him, and he takes pride in the fact that those who seek his services are culturally diverse and “from different walks of life.” Having reached this equilibrium, with 15% annual growth, Ballard says, “I don’t want to do any more salons. There’s only one of me.” Rather, his next step is to develop and retail his own line of grooming products for men. The shaving line is due out soon. “I’ve contacted a company that has created for me an organic base for my line,” he says, adding, “I’ve found that the most expensive products are not the best.”
