Ohio native Dennis Burky and California transplant Will Santoliquido said they likely would never have met each other had they not happened to enroll in an Austin-based barber school on the same day. Ten-and-a-half months later, they graduated at the same time and opened a barber shop together.

Burky, who now lives in Round Rock, and Santoliquido, a Hutto resident, said they were keen to open a shop north of Austin.

“I live in Round Rock,” Burky said. “My kids go to Round Rock schools. We want to be a part of the Round Rock community and grow with the city.”

The pair opened Round Rock Barber Shop in August 2018. Services include short haircuts for men and women, beard trims, face shaves and eyebrow trims.

Originally, the business was located within a salon suite at the Crossing Point Shopping Center.

“Business was very, very slow,” Santoliquido said. “We were happy just to make rent, just to break even.”

In April, Santoliquido said they decided to “take a leap of faith” and signed a five-year lease on an old house located off Mays Street in downtown Round Rock. Formerly home to Bless This Nest—a boutique that relocated to Hutto in July 2018—the property offers high visibility and heavy traffic, which has benefited the business, Santoliquido said.

“Our first week here we had more clients than we ever had at the old location,” Santoliquido said.

Round Rock Barber Shop is looking to hire two additional barbers to fill the demand, Burky said. As the business grows, the owners stated a commitment to growing responsibly.

“We vowed to grow slow, and we were adamant about not borrowing money,” Burky said. “We built this thing from the ground up, by not taking any loans.”

Merchandise sold—hair pomade, beard oil and T-shirts—funds improvements to the shop, Burky said. Rather than pocket the profit, product sales buy new chairs and equipment, he said. 301 N. Mays St., Round Rock

512-291-3142

www.roundrockbarbershop.com

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Sun.