PRECISION CUTS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH
By Marcia Lane
Photo by Kate Gardiner
Mel’s Old City Barbershop offers old-school barbering with a modern approach.
Owner Melissa (Mel) DeLuca started on this path while sitting on the beach at Wakiki, thinking about what to do with the next phase of her life. She was divorcing and looking for a new direction. “I want to cut hair,” she decided, having previously been in the dental field. Her new direction meant cosmetology school and a return home.
As it turned out, she didn’t like beauty salons, or the atmosphere that came with them, but she decided to ride it out. While working at a salon, she got three bad reviews for the work she did on male customers. Mel, being Mel, vowed to improve. No one, she realized, had taught her to cut men’s hair, and she set out to learn. She ended up deciding to get her barber license, which meant another 300 hours of instruction and doing…lots of doing.
She credits some of her expertise to Tony Smith, another acclaimed local barber, for the shop she opened in St. Augustine. He’s a master barber, having cut hair for some 15 years. “I met Tony two-and-a-half years ago. He took me under his wing. I’m still learning.”
Among the things she’s learned is the straight razor cut. “It’s a dying art,” Mel states. Turns out, it’s one that men appreciate. “Other places offer a quick cut. We offer a good haircut, and you get pampered.”
Mel’s is the sort of place where you wouldn’t be surprised to see a grandfather, father, and son all come in together for a little bonding time and a good shave.
“I love that barbershop vibe. Customers hang out, talk… It’s so drama-free,” she says. The crisp white shirt and suspender she wears adds another touch of distinction.
When asked the difference between barbering and cosmetology, Mel’s answer is “precision.” At her shop, each haircut includes a hot towel, massage, and straight razor. Using a straight razor makes for clean crisp lines. Services include shampoo and scalp massage, haircuts, traditional hot shaves and cuts, and beard trims or cuts. She offers hip styles as well as the classic gentlemen’s cut.
Mel knows a thing or two about building a clientele. Boys can start out with the young man’s cut and style and keep coming back for different looks as they get older. She offers appointments, but walk-ins are also welcome. While she does some hair cutting for women, the bulk of Mel’s clients are male.
So, does mixing old school and contemporary work? Her clients give that answer. As one noted recently in an online review, “This is a barbershop of old, like the one my grandfather used to talk about.”
Mel’s Old City Barbershop is located at 1797 Old Moultrie Road, #104. The shop is open Tuesday-Saturday. To make an appointment or learn more, please call 904-415-9700.