Hairdresser sees diversity in campus hairdos
Not many barbershops in Logan are visited daily by clients from all over the world. But in the USU Barbershop on the bottom floor of the Taggart Student Center, there is a map of the world with colored pins stuck in every continent. The pins represent the home countries of barbershop visitors.
“We get people from all over the world every day,” said Stephanie DeFillipps, USU Barbershop employee. “I gave someone from Poland a haircut this morning.”
DeFilipps, a senior majoring in communication studies, said the diversity of the clientele is just one thing that keeps her job as a stylist at the USU Barbershop exciting.
A Tremonton native, DeFilipps went to beauty school in 2007 before serving an LDS mission in Australia. Upon her return, she decided she wanted to go back to school and earn her degree, and she chose to attend USU. After she arrived on campus, she began looking for an on-campus job that would fit into a busy student schedule. When she heard the barbershop was hiring, she applied, and quickly joined the shop’s five-person team.
DeFilipps said her co-workers keep the job fun and exciting.
“We all get along so well,” she said. “I always think I’m going to try to do homework when we aren’t busy, but mostly I end up chatting with them. We play games, too, like trivia games, and sometimes we even order pizza.”
For DeFilipps, an average day includes arriving early at the barbershop and working on homework or socializing with her co-workers between haircuts.
“Haircuts come in and out, and the number we do vary every day,” she said. “We’re like a restaurant. Sometimes we’re very busy, and other times it’s very slow.”
DeFillips said she loves her job at the barbershop, because it means spending time with her co-workers and seeing her friends who either pass through the TSC or come to get their hair cut.
DeFilipps said most of the people who come in for haircuts are male students and professors.
“I think girls are a little more hesitant, because it is called a barbershop,” she said. “And for lots of girls, getting a haircut on campus can be a turnoff. They don’t want to have to walk around with their hair wet.”
DeFilipps said professors are the barbershop’s most steady clients. She said they also cut the hair of university President Stan Albrecht, who comes in frequently.
“He’s so nice,” she said of Albrecht. “I’ve been so impressed by him.”
DeFilipps said the barbershop is a way students can save money. The prices are competitive — $13 for a haircut — and the location can be convenient for students on the go.
“Haircuts aren’t something you want to skimp on,” she said. “They can be expensive.”
DeFilipps said though many students are not aware, the USU Barbershop offers color services for as little as $20, but prices depend on the color and the length of hair.
“You just have to come tell us ahead of time, so we can bring in all our stuff,” she said. “But it can be a good idea. Color can be so expensive, and if you’re paying $100 for a color treatment, you feel like you have to be really picky. When you’re paying $40, it’s easier to feel satisfied, because you’ve made a good financial choice.”
DeFilipps said she especially enjoys cutting new and different styles on students.
“We have guys who come in every once and a while and want mullets. I don’t try to stop them. I tell them to embrace it,” she said.
She said it is always exciting for students to get dramatically different haircuts from what they’ve had before. DiFilipps said she makes a point to practice what she preaches. Just a few days ago, she cut her own long hair to a chin-length bob.
DiFilipps said she encourages students to consider coming in to the barbershop for their next haircut.
“We love the student population,” she said. “The barbershop is a competitive and convenient choice for their next haircut.”
– m.van911@aggiemail.usu.edu