Located at 3601 W. William Cannon Drive, President Chelsea Hadden described the local chain’s latest addition as “a jewel in its crown,” bringing a fresh aesthetic to a brand-new clientele in an up-and-coming shopping center.
“Over the last 16 years, we’ve learned that the better we know our local communities, the better we’ll serve residents,” Hadden said. “Southwest Austin is expanding at a rapid rate, and these families deserve a high-quality haircut experience.”
With community involvement at the heart of the local business, a special fundraiser is being held during the new location’s first week of operation. All profits will be donated to Central Texas Food Bank, which distributes produce and non-perishable foods to households in 21 counties in and around Austin.
“Two-thirds of Austinites have to choose between affording food or housing,” Hadden said. “We hope this will be the first of many opportunities at our William Cannon shop to give back.”
Birds was born in 2006 when Jayson Rapaport and Michael Portman—preschool playmates turned lifelong friends—spotted the missing piece in Austin’s hair care scene: an approachable and inclusive shop equipped to serve people of all walks of life. They added vintage arcade games and complimentary Independence brews, Austin Eastciders and Rambler sparkling waters to the customer experience, turned the volume up and called it Birds Barbershop.
“We cover an extremely diverse range of clientele and our stylists and barbers value having that level of versatility in their skillset,” said Hadden. “They are trained to tackle any kind of haircut or color service our clients want.”
Since its inception, Birds has gained much of its creative momentum from working with local artists, and the Southwest Austin location is no exception. In the “Memphis-inspired” space—which features a mural of a giant boombox and the moon phases by Bryan Keplesky–customers are immersed in an energized environment with a neon color scheme.
Architecture for the seven-chair shop was helmed by Mark Odom Studio with construction by Franklin Alan – both Austin mainstays who have worked together on three other Birds locations – and the deal was put together by Jason Faludi of AQUILA Commercial.
“Of all Birds locations, I’d say that this is the most cohesive work of art disguised as a barbershop that we’ve ever created,” Hadden said. “Get ready for disco balls.”
The employees, or “birdies,” are passionate about bringing positive energy to each and every interaction. Though the locally-owned, female-led organization is now in nine Austin neighborhoods, its core values and ethos have remained the same since the beginning.
“Client experience is everything, but at the top of the list is our people,” Hadden said. “We want clients to know that by supporting us, they are supporting our amazing team of professionals and helping us provide this special place to build a career. We were born and raised right here in Austin, and we hope it shows.”
Ready for your first Birds Barbershop experience? Here is what to expect:
- Each service at Birds begins with a conversation. Birds professionals have hundreds of years of combined experience and know what will work best for someone’s specific hair type, lifestyle and desired outcome. The most important elements: how you want to look, if it is possible for your hair and if it is realistic for your lifestyle.
- Inclusion at Birds means never turning away any person or hairstyle. Whether you are looking to get your first gender-affirming haircut or need a fix from a poor experience at another salon, Birds welcomes all kinds of appointments and will find the best stylist for you.
- Birds has cultivated a community of open-hearted and passionate individuals—both in its clients and staff. If willing, it is a wonderful spot for Austinites to have meaningful conversations, make connections and meet a web of like-minded people.
The above story was produced by Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team. Our integrity promise to our readers is to clearly identify all CI Storytelling posts so they are separate from the content decided upon, researched and written by our journalism department.
