Lee Alford, owner of The Old Fashioned Barber Shop on Albert Street, has started a new venture together with a few other Niagara barbers. They’ve come up with a brand new hair pomade, made of beeswax and grapeseed oil.
Says Alford, “Right before the pandemic occurred there were a few of us that decided to create this pomade made by barbers. It’s a local all-natural pomade that is water soluble which means that it has a nice shine and it’s got a light hold to it. It just evens out the hair a little bit easier.”
Even though the pomade is a joint venture, every barber had a different role to play in the process.
Says Alford, “It is Short Hills Beard Company and (barber shop) Proper Hare that have helped make it and I would test it and give them feedback on what needed to be tweaked in the product itself.“
Alford says the pomade was a lifeline when the pandemic broke out and the barbershop was forced to temporarily close down.
"It was pretty much focusing on the pomade, to make sure it was absolutely perfect, and to keep honing our skills, too. It was tough to close down. We wanted to be as diligent as possible and do what we had to do but there’s not much else we could do.”
When the barbershop reopened again on June 30, Alford was finally able to use the pomade in his barbershop.
Says Alford, “When we launched it, we ended up selling out within the first two weeks.”
Alford thinks the pomade is a great example of small businesses coming together.
“I think a lot of the small businesses, especially now after the pandemic, are standing together and really standing strong and helping supporting each other. One of the biggest things that tied us together was creating this product.”
