Henry Sneed began cutting hair in 1978 and opened Henry’s Woodlands Barber Shop in 1992.[/caption]Henry Sneed points to dozens of university flags decorating the walls of his barbershop, each matching a pendant from the client who gave it to him. Sneed said he has been cutting hair in the area since 1975 but specializes in old-fashioned haircuts, good conversation and love.
“Everyone who walks through our door—even if I cut their hair one time—the next time they walk in the door, I can tell you their name and something personal about every last one of them,” Sneed said. “I really connect with people.”
Sneed opened Henry’s Woodlands Barber Shop in 1992 after cutting hair at a shop in Grogan’s Mill Shopping Center from 1978-86. By the time Sneed was ready to open his shop, he had been a barber for so long he already had a substantial clientele.
Henry’s Woodlands Barber Shop has a sports theme and a staff who cuts both men’s and women’s hair. The shop provides traditional haircuts and shaves for men. Services available for women include hair washing, blow drying, coloring, roller setting, wrapping, cutting and perms.
Sneed said after watching a friend cut hair, he bought some clippers and started trimming hair himself. The aspect he loves most about his job is the people.
“Some of the clients, I’ve cut their hair, and now I’m cutting their kid’s hair,” he said. “With some clients I’ve been cutting their family’s hair for three generations.”
Sneed said his younger clients go to college and often return with a school pendant to hang on his shop’s wall. He said the oldest flag in the shop is from the University of Texas, but all the big Texas schools are represented and some pendants are from out of state.
The longtime barber said over the years it has become a popular trend for barbershops to convert to a salon atmosphere with stylists. Sneed said the shift is good for some people.
“For some reason a lot of people would rather go to a stylist, which is great,” he said. “But a lot of people still want to go to an old-fashioned barbershop.”
Sneed supports the community beyond his barbershop by serving as a school bus driver and a prison minister, two roles he has held for years. In January, Impact Church honored him with the Drum Major award during its Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
Henry’s Woodlands Barber Shop has four staff members—two of whom have worked in his shop for more than 20 years. Sneed said he is passionate about his work, his staff and his clients and he does not anticipate retiring anytime soon.
“I’ll retire when people stop sitting in my chair,” he said. “My clients will retire me. Maybe when I’m blind and too old if they want me to stop, but I never want to retire.”
