Nice Barber Company is doing business at a good clip in new downtown Fargo location

FARGO – The folks at Nice Barber Company say it’s really nice to be back.

The downtown barber shop reopened Monday, Jan. 6, at 1320 1st Ave. N, just a

few blocks south of its old home in the Fargo Brewing

building.

All four chairs were occupied, the clippers and combs were moving fast, and over some background music, a buzz of conversation.

A day later, after the initial rush, co-owner Branden Ashmore was happy and relieved. It was a sprint over the Christmas and New Year’s break to set up the new shop, move all the chairs and equipment, and get the last city inspections checked off.

“It felt good to reopen Monday, and it felt really good to start on a clean slate,” Ashmore said Tuesday. “A new year, a new shop, new possibilities.”

Ashmore started the shop four years ago, just off the taproom at Fargo Brewing, next to Nova Eatery and The Hall concert and events center. He regularly spent 12-14 hours a day building his clientele, staying late to get people haircuts who simply couldn’t make it to a barber during their own busy workdays.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

The

closing of Fargo Brewing

near the end of November was part of a trying time for Ashmore and his shop.

The first misfortune was a bad break – literally.

On Aug. 11 last year, Ashmore was at Bluestem Amphitheater in Moorhead enjoying a Dwight Yoakim concert. After the concert, a fight broke out in the crowd and he and a couple buddies tried to stop it before it escalated. Ashmore tripped, fell, and broke his shoulder.

He damaged “just about everything” but his rotator cuff. If that had torn, he would have been out of work for more than a year, he said.

“I did a ton of physical therapy with Sanford (Health), and those people were amazing. My doctor at Sanford was awesome,” Ashmore said.

His care team recommended physical therapy rather than surgery. It was a good call, he said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

“And that’s what I have been doing, and back to work twice as fast because of it,” Ashmore said. “I’m not 100%, but I’m getting there.”

Then, of course, came the news that the owners of Fargo Brewing had decided while working through bankruptcy proceedings to dissolve their company. That meant Nice Barber needed a new home.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

In addition to Ashmore, the other owners of Nice Barber are Ian Johnson and Jade Nielsen.

Nielsen, an entrepreneur who owns concert and event production company Jade Presents, and Tickets 300, also has a portfolio of several properties in the Fargo-Moorhead area. One of them is 1320 1st Ave. N.

Nielsen said he and his the partners searched for the best spot they could find for Nice Barber, and the interior space, parking and access for the 1st Avenue North location made it the winner. (The building is also home to Jade Presents, Tickets 300 and 46 and 2 Tattoo.)

“There’s some small conveniences” for Nice Barber in the new shop, and the renovation was relatively inexpensive, Nielsen said.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Nielsen said the next addition for the barber shop could be a deck off the westside garage doors.

In nice weather, Ashmore and Nielsen said the garage doors can be raised, and with screens in place so patrons can enjoy summer breezes without worrying about summer bugs.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

“We’re trying to provide a space where you can still just come in and hang out if you want, and BS once in a while,” Ashmore said. “It will be cool to have a little break area or getaway space.”

Nice Barber’s hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Walk-ins are taken as time allows, Ashmore said. But, as busy as the shop has gotten, it is best to set up a reservation, he said.

“People now live in such a time-sensitive age. When you need to be somewhere, you need to be able to get in, get out, and get done,” Ashmore said. “It’s just the most efficient way to keep everyone happy and keep everything running smoothly.”

Ashmore said he just wants people to know that Nice Barber is still in the game.

“We’re still a downtown barber shop and we’d still like to get everybody over to our shop to check us out,” Ashmore said. “I’m glad we were able to find a spot and bounce back.”