Mike Hack had been cutting my hair for nearly eight years when he told me he was opening his own shop. What started as a conversation in the chair quickly turned into a collaboration. A full brand launch covering photography and a website build ahead of his grand opening.

I'd seen plenty of barbershops, but the space Mike was building was something different. Reclaimed wood, exposed brick, dark textured walls, vintage iron chairs, and private cutting stations that felt like they'd been there for a hundred years. I knew the moment I walked through during construction that every surface would sing on camera. The textures alone were going to carry the photos.

While the buildout was underway, I started on the website. Mike wanted no frills. Just a clean, direct experience that got people from the homepage to a booked appointment with as few clicks as possible. He gave me creative freedom to shape it, and once the shop was finished and the first round of photos went live, the whole thing finally locked into place.

Throughout 2025, we continued building out the content library together. Seasonal campaigns, new service launches, product features, Father's Day, the holidays, and eventually the grand opening itself. Each shoot added another layer to the brand and gave us another reason to let the space, the team, and the work speak for itself.