Just off of South Dixie Highway, there is a classic candy stripe barber pole spinning to greet customers. Step inside Primo’s Barber Shop: It is as though Dean Martin and Diddy have gone in to business together.
Manning the ship are cousins Danny Roblejo, a University of Miami alumnus and the President of Primo’s, and Eddie Aja, current UM M.B.A. student and owner of the shop.
When the economy took a turn for the worse and Roblejo found himself without a job, he was inspired to take the plunge into a new business venture with Aja. They discussed many ideas, but one day after leaving a barbershop, the two found themselves looking at a barber franchise online. Roblejo and Aja decided to start their own place.
“We saw an opening in the market for this kind of service,” Roblejo said. “The market had a need for this and so did the modern man.”
The barbershop is designed with a classic style, complete with a checkerboard floor, hearkening back to a simpler time and evoking the past. Maxim, GQ and Sports Illustrated lay around the shop, and an HDTV sits at each station.
The service menu features cuts, hot lather shaves and men’s grooming products. Primo’s Barber Shop aims to take customers back to a time where taking care of how you look was part of being a man.
“Barbering was an art that has been lost,” said Rich Trewan, one of the barbers in the shop. “Guys want to be pampered without going to a salon. Here it’s an elegant, classic place, but still a barbershop. Men are taking care of themselves more, and [Primo’s is] bringing back the old-school feel of how it used to be.”
The experience customers receive during their time at the barbershop is key to Roblejo, as is the task of developing the men that walk through Primo’s doors.
“Presence is important,” Roblejo said. “How you look and feel has to do with grooming. As you prepare for the real world, you need to make those habits.”
MacKenzie Green may be contacted at mgreen@themiamihurricane.com.