Handshake Barber & Supply

What Handshake Barber & Supply does

Handshake Barber & Supply is a privately-held, neighborhood barbershop business operating three physical locations in North Alabama — Arab, Guntersville, and Cherokee Ridge (the latter embedded inside the Cherokee Ridge Club House). Founded around 2019 and led by owner Drew Godfrey, the company delivers classic and modern men's haircuts, beard trims, beard sculpting, and hot towel straight razor shaves, with appointments booked through the Resurva online scheduling platform. The brand explicitly positions itself as a community gathering space, layering modern amenities (online booking, arcade games, vinyl records) onto a traditional barbershop format.

The business model is straightforward service revenue: individual consumer appointments paid per visit at the chair, with no disclosed pricing, no subscription or membership layer, and no enterprise or B2B customers. Marketing and customer acquisition rely primarily on Facebook and Instagram presence plus word-of-mouth and community reputation; the company notably does not maintain a shop phone, redirecting inquiries to social channels. The team comprises roughly seven people (six barbers and the owner), several of whom trained at recognized barber institutions or apprenticed at premium shops, and the firm is actively recruiting additional barbers via its careers page.

Technology adoption is minimal but pragmatic — online booking via Resurva, a Squarespace-hosted website, and organic social media constitute the entire digital stack. There is no app, no API, no proprietary software, no AI capability, and no disclosed retail product revenue today, although a Grooming section on the website suggests an upcoming retail product line. The ownership structure is simple founder ownership with no institutional investment, parent company, or external funding indicated.

Name

Handshake Barber & Supply

Legal name

Handshake Barber & Supply

Website

https://handshakebarbershop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Handshake Barber & Supply is a privately-held North Alabama barbershop operating three locations in Arab, Guntersville, and Cherokee Ridge, offering men's haircuts, beard grooming, and straight-razor shaves to local consumers via online and appointment-based booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Barbershop Services

NAICS

Barber Shops (812111)

akta.pro primary industry

Classic Barbering (Cuts & Styling) (HSALABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beard & Mustache Grooming (HSALABAB), Hot Towel Shaves & Straight-Razor Shaving (HSALABAC)

Keywords

• Men's haircuts
• Beard grooming
• Barbershop services
• Straight razor shaves
• Grooming services

Headquarters

HQ city

Arab

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Barber Services: One-time service transactions for haircuts, beard trims, beard sculpting, and hot towel straight razor shaves. Services rendered at physical shop locations with appointment-based scheduling.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Handshake Barber & Supply delivers men's haircuts (classic and trendy styles), beard trims, beard sculpting, and hot towel straight razor shaves at three physical barbershop locations in North Alabama. Services are scheduled through the Resurva online booking platform and rendered in-person by staff barbers across the Arab, Guntersville, and Cherokee Ridge shops.

Product overview

Handshake Barber & Supply is a barbershop with three physical locations in North Alabama (Arab, Guntersville, and Cherokee Ridge). The core offering consists of three haircut and beard grooming services: Haircut (classic and trendy styles), Beard Trim, and Beard Sculpt. The shop combines traditional barber services including hot towel straight razor shaves with modern styling options, and also mentions grooming products as an upcoming offering. All services are booked through the Resurva online platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Haircut Classic men's haircuts as well as modern 'trendy' haircut services. The primary service offering available at all three Handshake shop locations in North Alabama.
• Beard Trim Professional beard trimming services for maintaining and shaping facial hair, available at Handshake's North Alabama barbershop locations.
• Beard Sculpt Detailed beard sculpting and shaping services for customized facial hair styling, offered at Handshake's North Alabama barbershop locations.
• Hot Towel Straight Razor Shave Traditional hot towel straight razor shave services carried over from vintage barbershop practice, offered at Handshake's North Alabama shop locations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cost Cutters: Value-positioned haircut chain operating across the Midwest and South, including Alabama. Represents the low-end price competition Handshake's community positioning must justify against.
• Sport Clips: The largest U.S. men's haircut franchise (~1,900 stores). Operates in the same men's grooming service category but at national scale with a sports-themed, walk-in model; a relevant competitor for any expansion ambitions into larger markets.
• The Art of Shaving: Premium men's grooming brand combining barbershop services with proprietary retail product lines. Comparable because it represents the natural 'service + retail product' evolution Handshake's 'Supply' branding suggests.
• Great Clips: North America's largest haircut chain (~4,400 salons). Competes with Handshake on convenience and price for routine men's and unisex cuts, and would be the dominant incumbent Handshake faces in any mid-size Alabama expansion market.
• Supercuts: National walk-in haircut chain with broad unisex and men's service offerings. Sets the baseline price/convenience benchmark Handshake must beat in any larger Alabama market.

Direct peers

• Fellow Barber: New York-based modern barbershop chain with a vintage-meets-modern aesthetic closely mirroring Handshake's positioning. Direct comparability on brand identity, service mix (cuts, beard work, shaves), and online booking — and a key influence given founder Drew Godfrey apprenticed there.
• Floyd's 99 Barbershop: Multi-unit barbershop chain (~120 locations) targeting the same modern-vintage, music-driven, men's-grooming experience that Handshake sells. Closest direct comparable in concept and target customer.
• Roosters Men's Grooming Center: Franchised men's grooming brand offering haircuts, beard services, and straight-razor shaves in an old-school barbershop atmosphere. Directly comparable service mix and customer profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handshake-barber-supply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Handshake Barber & Supply