Eddy's Barbershop opens on Coventry

Chuck Falk and Eddy Maddox at the new Eddy's Barbershop.

Eddy Maddox, the owner of Eddy’s on Coventry salon, has taken over the space down the street that previously was occupied by the Laura Lee Salon. In its place, he has opened Eddy’s Barbershop, specializing in men’s haircuts.

“There was a niche to be filled over here,” Maddox said. “Not every guy wants to go to a unisex hair salon. So for the guy who doesn’t want to go to one of those places, we’re here.”

Chuck Falk, the new barbershop’s master barber and manager, said, “Overall, the average guy is more concerned about style in general these days. With that come haircuts. The barbershop is the more traditional route to men’s grooming. Men can come here to get a shave and a haircut in a more traditional setting.”

In keeping with that traditional theme, Maddox and Falk have outfitted the shop, which opened on March 27, with vintage barbershop chairs, two of which date back to the 1930s and one that is from the '40s. “We searched the Internet and found a guy outside of Philadelphia whose hobby is restoring vintage chairs,” Falk said. “So we went there and picked these up.” They also installed a traditional red, white and blue barber pole in the front window.

Falk grew up in Medina and majored in fashion and merchandising at Kent State University. He graduated in 2008 and then moved to New York City, and it was there that he realized something was missing in Cleveland.

“New York had a lot of barbershops, and I wondered why we didn’t have many here,” Falk said. “This kind of barbershop is really a modern take on a classic style.” Maddox added, “In the old days, you’d go to a barbershop, and basically all you could get was a buzz cut. But now, with these new barbershops, you can get a very stylish, contemporary cut.”

Falk returned to the Cleveland area and took classes at the Akron Barber College. In March 2013, Maddox, who also had realized that Cleveland was lacking salons that focused on men’s hair, hired Falk to fill that gap at his Coventry salon. After Laura Lee closed its Coventry location, the two jumped at the opportunity to open a barbershop there.

“It brings old school and new school together,” Maddox said. “Men can get a straight-razor shave, they can get their beards trimmed, and they can get their hair cut and washed.”

The new Eddy’s also offers hair and shaving products geared toward men, including Lay Rite pomade and Baxter of California products, as well as razors, brushes, shaving cream and after-shave lotions.

Falk said that the shop is looking into collaborating with some clothing stores, so it can sell men’s clothing accessories. “We want to be the place where a man can come to get any kind of accessory, from clothing to hair,” he said.

At press time, Falk was the shop’s only barber, but Maddox said he hoped to hire two more barbers “very soon.”

Eddy’s Barbershop
216-795-5185
1797 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights

Hours:

Tuesday through Friday, noon to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Sunday and Monday

               

James Henke

James Henke, a Cleveland Heights resident, was a writer and editor at Rolling Stone magazine for 15 years. He is also the author of several books, including biographies of Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Bob Marley.

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Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 1:04 PM, 04.08.2014