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How City Style Barbershop became a Waterloo Favorite

There is no shortage of barbershops and hair stylists in any locale within southern Ontario. These shops come in various forms: the decades-old barbershop on the corner where people go for memories rather than the latest haircuts, and of course the new age stylists, where people go for a social media-driven experience built around fads and trends. Mohammad Al Ahmad, the soft-spoken man behind City Style, had a different vision: customer service above all.

a customer first philosophy

But don’t all barbershops focus on customer service to some extent? Yes, but these considerations are often overwhelmed by competing factors, such as profit maximization, competitive pricing, and in present circumstances, sheer survival. Maintaining a singular focus on superior customer experience can be challenging for even the most seasoned practitioners. But Mohammad has built a quickly growing business – now with two locations on Hemlock St. and Phillip St. respectively – that prizes customer satisfaction above all else.

“We are growing but we are very much local”, Mohammad speaks about the brand’s identity, “I see a brand that will be synonymous with Waterloo’s local culture in the years to come.’

BREAKING STEREOTYPES

The barbershop has done it’s best not to be typecast to a specific clientele category. “We get clients from all walks of lives and backgrounds: Caucasian, Asian, South Asian, Black, Arab – this is a welcoming barbershop for all.

This is not as simple always as simple as it seems. Aside from low-cost franchise-based players that offer standard cuts through a region, most local barbershops are usually typecast into a specific customer category. It might be a specific age group, gender or in most cases, a specific nationality. City Style, however, has consciously steered away from such categorizations.

“Our staff is highly trained in haircuts for all requirements, be it students, those more older or styles attuned or more popular with a specific demographic group”, Mohammad emphasizes.

BROADENING HORIZONS

The next step for City Style was to expand it’s services further – something it did in early 2020 despite the problems that the year bought along with it for the small business community. It’s new Phillip St. location has been widely lauded – showcasing a state-of-the-art interior and the absolute finest equipment and amenities available in Canada. The best thing? It offers the same great rates and services as the Hemlock St. location that quickly grew into a local favorite.

 
EXPANDING POSSIBILITIES

“The whole experience is controlled and designed to make you feel 10x better than you do walking in. Only then do you create real value and offer a real change”, Mohammad explains. 

City Style’s Phillip St. location was the brand’s first foray into women’s hairstyling. The response so far has been amazing. It’s seasoned hair stylists and top of the line products have quickly made it the go-to stylist for women of all ages – be it styling, hair color or an endless array of hair services.

The decision to launch ladies services was made only after years of refining the City Style experience for gents. After careful consideration and expert insight, several surveys were conducted in the local market to identify gaps in demand and supply, and find out what existing ladies hairstylists were missing.

The result is a 5-star experience for clients from all walks of life.

“The 5-star reviews and feedback we receive is testament to our non stop efforts in taking this brand to the next step. The possibilities are endless.”

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