Pennington is now home to Borough Barbers, a brand new business with a warm design and a welcoming attitude. Shop owners Pierre Gravier and George Guhr had been on the lookout for a space in Pennington for more than three years. The community was a real draw to the business owners, and they are thrilled to occupy their new space, next to Villa Francesco’s on Route 31.
Gravier had been cutting hair for 13 years before opening Borough Barbers. His vision with the new business is to create a community space where people could feel at home and he could share his craft with a community. George Guhr, an entrepreneur, helped Gravier execute that dream. Gravier said something that really sets the Borough Barber apart is his offerings of services like straight razor shaves and other more traditional methods, no longer offered by many other shops.
“For me, barbering is more than just a job—it’s a calling,” said Gravier. “I want people to know that they are good enough, anywhere. Whether they’re heading to a job interview or a night out on the town, I want them to feel their best.”
Kasia Guhr, George’s wife, first met Gravier at another salon in Ewing where she was getting her son a hair cut. She noticed that there was a very long line of people waiting for one particular stylist and she decided to wait as well. That moment led to Gravier meeting George Guhr and the two beginning to plan for a Pennington location.
“I said Pierre, we have to look at Pennington,” said Guhr. “That was the time when Frank White*, the original barber in Pennington was on Delaware Avenue. White was beginning to have problems with his health and we thought that we could not let the community be without a legitimate barber, and not a franchise.”
The pair offered to buy White out of his business, but he was not interested at that time and the deal ultimately never worked out. Guhr lamented that White has since passed away. But Guhr said he remained committed to Pennington because the goal was to open a family barbershop serving multiple generations.
Jason B. Meyer, Chair of the Pennington Borough Economic Development Commission and Principal Lawyer of Meyer Business Law said that Borough Barber is a great service business for the community.
“Frank’s absence is real,” said Meyer of Frank White, the owner and operator of The Pennington Barber Shop. “To hear [Borough Barbers] talk about Frank as a role model is really great. That is what Pennington is about. It is a family town.”
“We want to serve folks who are two years old to 102 years old,” said Guhr. “Sons, fathers, grandfathers, come on through. We have made it neutral and modern. What we didn’t want was vests and scotch.”
Guhr spoke very highly of the process and the ease of opening a business in Pennington. Going into permitting for construction, he thought the process would be difficult but found the exact opposite to be true. He noted both the Borough and his contractor, Peter Musal of PM Construction helped him through the process and to a beautifully finished space.
“The office for permitting in Pennington Borough, Regina Taylor is over there, was super nice, super helpful, held my hand,” said Guhr. “They held my hand through the process.”
Mayor Jim Davy could not be present for the grand opening but Catherine “Kit” Chandler, Pennington Borough Council President, was on hand for the event.
“Pennington has been very fortunate with quite a few business openings,” said Chandler. “We are very happy that businesses are finding a home in Pennington Borough. We are a family town, and a barber is an absolutely perfect fit for the community”
Borough Barbers website can be accessed here.
*Editor’s note: Anthony Carlisi has written to point out that his barbershop, The Razor’s Edge, has been in business in Pennington since 2006. (6/12 12:03pm)
