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This Washington, D.C. barbershop drew on decades of Black history to create a luxury experience

Manifest embraced the multifaceted role of barbershops; it also includes a coffee shop, boutique, and cocktail bar.

This Washington, D.C. barbershop drew on decades of Black history to create a luxury experience

[Photo: Michael Grant/Manifest]

BY Aimee Rawlins3 minute read

Black barbershops have long been a formidable part of Black life. Not just a place to get a haircut, they’ve functioned as community gathering spots and economic hubs for neighborhoods around the country for decades.

[Photo: Michael Grant/Manifest]
Now, a new barbershop in Washington, D.C. is channeling that history and elevating it. Manifest, which launched last fall, is taking the multifaceted aspect of the traditional barbershop seriously: It will also have a boutique, coffee shop, and cocktail bar. “We picked Manifest for a barbershop name because, when you’re manifesting yourself in these new spaces, these new ideas, you always think of better places, and everything great starts with a haircut,” says Brian Merritt, one of the founders of Manifest who also cofounded Chicago apparel label Sir & Madame.

[Photo: Austin Keith/Manifest]
The four-in-one concept was brought to life by K.J. Hughes, a serial sports and entertainment entrepreneur, who teamed up with Merritt and Susan Morgan, a vice president at Team Epiphany, a New York-based marketing and creative agency. “I think all of my years of going to the barbershop influenced this particular innovation,” Hughes says. His mother was a hairstylist at Shelton’s Hair Gallery in Washington, D.C., in the ’80s and ’90s. “There was the bag lady that came in, the polo guy who came in [with] polo shirts, sweats, and hoodies,” Hughes says. “The barbershop was no different. You had the hustle man that came in with CDs, computers, and laundry detergent. Folks were hustling and selling things because the barbershop was a captive audience. This definitely went into the business model that we created at Manifest.”

[Photo: Karston Tannis/Manifest]
This mixed-use history of barbershops underscores the central role they’ve played in Black communities. “The black barbershop can be a social and even a political anchor for a rapidly changing community,” says Quincy Mills, associate professor of history at the University of Maryland and author ofCutting Along the Color Line. “Once they have a barber or beautician, [Black consumers] are pretty set on that person. Even if they move, they’re likely to travel back to that barbershop in their old neighborhood, so, in those ways, I think a barbershop can serve as a kind of an anchor even when things are changing.” A membership program at Manifest provides even more community engagement, with discounts, events, and exclusive products.

[Photo: Austin Keith/Manifest]
When it came to Manifest, the partners tapped New York design firm Snarkitecture to design the space. Neon lighting, molded archways, and mixed materials create a cohesive experience between its four businesses. “We created it to feel like one space, but if you’re in the barbershop, it doesn’t feel like you’re in the coffee shop; or, if you’re in the coffee shop, it doesn’t feel like you’re in the barbershop, so the sight lines were really important,” Hughes says, adding that the archways throughout represent ritual. “Getting your haircut, getting a fade, shopping, and coffee are ritualistic types of activities.”

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[Photo: Karston Tannis/Manifest]
Although barbershops have been traditionally seen as “boys clubs,” Manifest’s offerings are intended for everyone. “We get people from all walks of life—athletes, politicians, regular people on the street, guys from the neighborhood, women, everyone comes,” Merritt says. “This is what we wanted it to be, a nice point of community and discovery.”

[Photo: Karston Tannis/Manifest]
Adjacent to the lavish barbershop experience is a well curated retail selection. Brands featured include Acne Studios, Engineered Garments, Rick Owens, Craig Green, and Issey Miyake. “You see all different walks of life in a barbershop, so why not offer them all types of clothing? So we have luxury, street, contemporary, Japanese stuff they can discover here,” Merritt says.

[Photo: Karston Tannis/Manifest]
This, too, is an extension of the role that Black barbershops have played for decades. “Historically, barbershops and beauty shops have been used in different ways,” Mills says. “They were the spaces that Black people either owned or had control over, which allowed them to be used for other purposes. It allowed for the cross-selling of other kinds of businesses within the same space.”

[Photo: Karston Tannis/Manifest]
Beyond the first-floor space, there’s a dimly lit hidden staircase that leads to Out Of Office, a 30-seat, reservation-only speakeasy. The bar mimics the design elements of the barbershop, with tiles and moody lighting. Later this spring, Manifest will expand its offerings even further by opening a town home on the fourth floor that’s available to rent. “D.C. is one of the few Black cities left,” Merritt says. “So we have to do something nice for our people, something elevated for our people. It’s notjustfor us, but it’s for us.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aimee Rawlins is a senior editor at Fast Company, overseeing the Impact section. You can connect with her on X/Twitter at @aimeerawlins and on LinkedIn. More


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