Razor’s edge: All Star and Shane’s take straight blades, precision seriously

“I had a former barber in San Mateo who always focused so much on the detail parts of a haircut and I was always so intrigued by it,” said Shane Nesbitt, owner and barber at Shane’s. “Back then, no one was using straight razors and the way he used the razor was like a piece of art and he was able to make amazing things with it.”

While Nesbitt decorates his shop with skateboards, music memorabilia and retro art, Gloria Rosario, owner and barber at All Star sticks with a sports theme.

Sitting on 322 E. Third Ave., the inside of All Star Barber Shop is decorated with sports posters of Ali’s famous knock out of Sonny Liston, several of Michael Jordan’s legendary poses and an array of 49ers and Giants memorabilia from the 1980s.

“I’ve always loved sports and I named it All Star Barber Shop, because it just made me think of baseball,” said Rosario. “A lot of my customers are men and sports is an easy topic to talk about for guys.”

While Rosario loves her Bay Area sports, her passion lies in the barbershop business.

For Rosario, barbering is in her blood and today is no different. Beyond the love of sports is a focus she gained from her lineage.

Originally spending 30 years cutting hair at San Francisco International Airport, Rosario has been a master barber since 1980, crediting her father for being her inspiration at a young age.

Armed with her straight razor, Rosario works through a client’s hair with precision and carefulness, as if it were a heart surgery.

“My 76-year-old father has been cutting hair for 65 years, who taught me a lot of what I do and I have two sisters who also cut hair,” said Rosario. “I was 17 when I started and I’ve been cutting hair my whole life.”

That same family atmosphere led her to relocate her shop to San Mateo, where she feels that the variety in customers is a great benefit to her business.

“It’s been good in San Mateo since it’s more family-oriented than the airport,” Rosario said.

While sharing the same passion and devotion to the barbering craft, Shane Nesbitt, owner and barber of Shane’s has a different story and shop from Rosario’s.

Layered in a variety of punk rock, blues, jazz, soul-funk and hip-hop music albums, Shane’s resembles that of an old underground music record store spit out from the streets of downtown San Francisco.

“I had a record store opened in 1998 in Burlingame before I became a barber,” said Nesbitt. “At the time I was cutting hair maybe once a week for just a few friends.”

Scattered along the walls of Shane’s are Grosso, Gerver and Hewitt skateboards as well as several tattoo designs that match the ink coated as sleeves on Nesbitt’s arms.

Opening his own first shop after attending Bay View Barber School in San Francisco, Nesbitt proudly describes Shane’s as a representation of himself.

“This shop is everything I know about barbering. From the way that we greet our clients to the way we produce our finishing product,” Nesbitt said. “Everything here; skateboarding, art, tattoo shops, it’s me. I was proud enough to put my name on it and that in itself makes it special to me.”

Whether it’s catching up and rehashing old stories or cracking up over jokes, Shane’s resembles a shop that of a reunion of old friends.

“I always thought it was a cool trade in a way of being social,” said Nesbitt. “People come in all the time to check in and people bring food just to hang out. It’s like a really community-based establishment.”

While each shop’s physical outlook differ from each other, both shops are renowned for their use of straight razors. Dating back to the 1950s, straight razors once were used in every barbershop.

However, since the induction of electric and disposable razors, which have made barbering much simpler and less of an expertise, straight razor barbershops have become much less common. Rosario and Nesbitt hope to bring back that culture with their shops, as the straight razor itself has had such a profound effect on their careers.

Nesbitt’s humble beginnings started with his interactions with his own barber who inspired him to learn the traditional trade of straight razors.

As opposed to safety razors, straight razors have the advantage of giving a closer shave and, if done with precision, reduce the amount of razor burns on skin.

In addition to providing straight razor shaves, Rosario said she uses hot organic oil special to her family tradition.

Rosario concludes shaves with a hot lather and a towel on the neck, which she says helps relax and refresh her customers.

However, straight razors remain a rare tool these days in barbering because of the level of expertise needed to master it.

“My back hurts, my feet hurt, my arms, but every day it’s the most gratifying experience,” Nesbitt said.

While their barbershops are different in appearance, both All Star and Shane’s have similar philosophies in that they strive to always put their clients first.

“I’m the kind of person that’s going to be honest with you,” Rosario said. “If your hair can come out a certain way, I can do it; but if it’s not meant to do that, I won’t take your money. That’s why I’m proud of my shop, because I’m not out here to sell you a product.”

Nesbitt echoes Rosario’s approach to making sure people are happy with their cut and he also believes that barbershops should be more than just a place to get a haircut.

“I always want people to feel welcome here. I like that Shane’s can be a calm and special place for people to vent,” Nesbitt said. “It’s like all of our secret hideout.”