Copy Editor's Note:

Decades Club, our ongoing salute to the geniuses, lifers, hermits, icons, and institutions that have survived ten years in Shanghai – which, by local standards, is basically a geological epoch. In a city where entire neighborhoods vanish between taxi rides, sticking around takes more than just good luck and a WeChat following. These are the people and places that arrived in Shanghai, and are now fixtures of the city. In this series, we go way back, and get historical. For those brave enough to get cornered by us, we track them down, ask intrusive questions, and try to figure out how the they did it.

In this edition, we talk to Anna Elliott. Before her, there were no Western-style barbershops in SH.

Fix Up: Doc's Celebrates 10 Years with a New Shop on Julu Road

As everybody knows, the most awesome and most friendliest barbershop in town is Doc's, helmed for the past 10 years of smooth sailing by owner/master barber Anna Elliott. A bloody Shanghai institution, their first venue on Kangding Road, Doc Guthrie's, kicked off the vintage barbershop craze that was replicated by... let's say many tribute businesses 'lo these many years, but they're still here today and still the gold standard in the genre.

The genre: a barbershop for rockers of short hair that also functions as a mini respite from the rest of your day. You go to Doc's to have a really well-done haircut by really good barbers, who will also serve you beer and/or whiskey and listen to you whine about and/or celebrate your life, all through a process that is borderline spa-like.

For a treat, you get one of their fancy straight razor shaves, which are very fantastic indeed.

These days, at the new shop on Julu Road, they're offering a more inclusive, modern and world-seasoned veneer, open to anyone with short hair looking to maintain said shortness.

We talked to Anna about the new shop, the good life in Shanghai and 10 years of unmitigated triumph.

CNS: So how does it feel to celebrate 10 years of your barbershop, and what emotions arise in you when you reflect on this milestone? I told you they'd be great questions.

Anna: Give it to me one more time.

CNS: How does it feel to be celebrating 10 years of your barbershop, and what emotions does this inspire for you?

Anna: It inspires a little fear that there's going to be another 10 years ahead.

[Laughs.]

We were having people over for drinks, and someone cheers'ed, "Here's to the next 10 years."

And I was like, "Oh, God."

It's just been a lot that has happened in 10 years, I guess.

No, I mean, I want to try something a little bit more positive, let's say. I feel happy that we've been able to last this long.

CNS: What is the one major life lesson you learned? Oh, maybe I should ask that at the very end…

Anna: Don't trust anyone. Only trust yourself.

To trust myself, I guess, is maybe a better way to say it.

CNS: That is sound advice. That's a good realization. Maybe let's start at the beginning. Can you introduce yourself?

Anna: My name is Anna. I'm from Scotland. I've been in Shanghai for around 12 years now. And I've had a barbershop for 10 years.

CNS: What brought you to Shanghai?

Anna: My wife got a job here. She's a swimming coach. So she got a job at an international school, and we're still here. After all this time.

CNS: So you're coming from Scotland?

Anna: Yeah. If you've ever been to Scotland, you'll understand why. Six months of winter and then six months of bad weather.

CNS: So what was Shanghai like? What were your first impressions when you got here 12 years ago?

Anna: I remember thinking it was a lot quieter than I expected it. You know, I was thinking about this massive Asian metropolis, like Shibuya or something, you know – just streets rammed with people.

But then you see all these beautiful tree-lined streets and people biking and hanging out; it's so chill. Not what I expected initially.

CNS: What were your favorite places in Shanghai in 2012?

Anna: I mean, Cantina Agave. O.G. Cantina Agave was great when they had the pitchers of margaritas. They're still around. They're kind of bougie now. You know, they used to be more rough around the edges.

God, where did we used to go? I remember I had my 30th birthday party at Hooters…

CNS: What? Hooters?

Anna: Yeah. You know, it's one of those things where you're like, "This is going to be really fun."

And then you get there and you're like, "Oh, God, what have I done?"

CNS: [Laughs.] What's your professional background in barbering? How did you find yourself opening Doc's in Shanghai?

Anna: I studied at Hamilton Hair School in New York in 2008.

And I never got my cosmetology license because I didn't plan to stay in New York. So I moved back to Scotland and just earned my stripes in local salons. And eventually a men's salon that was a barbershop before barbershops were a thing again.

And then that way, when I moved here, I knew I kind of wanted to be a barber rather than a hairdresser.

And the first shop I ever worked at, they had a little – it was a salon, but they made a little space for me upstairs. And I had a little barbershop.

CNS: What is it about barbering that appeals to you as opposed to hairstyling?

Anna: Loyalty and consistency. I feel like men particularly, but people with short hair, actually need a bit more maintenance because they've got to get a haircut every four or six weeks.

So it's more about… it's not about beauty. It's more practical.

Like, "Okay, I need a haircut." I need to look good for work or daily life or whatever.

Whereas when women go to a salon, it's more like, "Oh, I want to look pretty, and I have a wedding to go to."

You know, there's a lot of fluff around it. I don't have the energy.

I kind of like the straightforward, like, just do the back and sides.

CNS: Right.

Anna: Yeah. I guess I like the kind of banter in a shop. People having a drink and bitching about work. You know, you still get that kind of stuff in a barbershop. It's a little bit more laid-back.

CNS: How did Doc Guthrie's come to open?

Anna: Because I worked in a salon, and I had this little space upstairs. My boss at the time, I asked him, could I serve, like, whiskey? Could we serve beers or something? Because they were serving alcohol anyway.

And my boss was like, "No, we should serve red wine."

But I kind of knew there was something here because I was getting quite busy with a consistent client list. So I knew there was a market for it. And, my wife, we loved it here. We were kind of like, well, what have we got to lose?

My business partner at the time already had a tattoo shop. So he knew business. He had a Chinese partner. So it seemed like a safe way to start a business with people that already know how to run a business.

I think doing this on my own would have been a lot harder. Because obviously I can't read a contract. And, you know, I didn't know the local ins and outs.

It kind of came to the right place at the right time.

CNS: Can you tell us about where the name comes from?

Anna: It's named after my grandfather. My grandfather was a doctor in the US Navy. He grew up in Arkansas, which is where my mom is from. Both my parents are American, even though I was born and raised in Scotland.

So, I don't know, at the time when we were thinking of names, my business partner and I, you know, we wanted to do something family-oriented. Because barbershops generally are generational. If you're family-oriented, you get the kid, you get the dad, and you get the granddad.

They're all coming in often at the same time. And so, yeah, Doc's... We originally opened as Doc Guthrie's. But even in the Western world, Guthrie is a hard one for people.

So, in China, we just dropped it to Doc's, which works better for everyone. But it was also this epic picture that we found with my granddad. It was one of those that we were like, how can we use this? This is too good.

CNS: You must profit off this man. His look must be disseminated to the masses…

Anna: And he was still alive when we opened. No, wait. No, he died in May, and we opened not long after.

CNS: Did he know what you were up to?

Anna: He knew we were going to do it, and he laughed. He thought it was hilarious.

My grandma was concerned that her neighbors would find out that we're serving alcohol. Because she's a preacher's daughter.

CNS: [Laughs.] Did she find out, though?

Anna: Yes, she did.

She only died just last year. She was just... All my family loved the logo. Every time we make new T-shirts, they're like, "Send us one!"

Because they just love them. And it's like Granddad is on the logo, still traveling around the world.

CNS: So, the style of the place is like a vintage men's barbershop. It's a huge trend in the West and now also in Shanghai, but you guys were the first… doing the high and tights and serving whiskey, that kind of stuff.

Anna: Yeah. When we first opened, it was kind of like a time and place where we were men only. We said we only cut men's hair because we needed a way to distinguish ourselves from the salons that are on every corner.

So, we started with that, and we stuck to it quite strictly for the first three, four or five years.

CNS: Were you turning away people? It was men only…

Anna: I mean, it killed me a little bit because, of course, there were people like me that, you know, I have short hair. I want a quick haircut. I don't like all the extra stuff.

So, eventually we saw that, you know, barbershop styles were changing in the West. Becoming more inclusive, becoming more modern. So, that's what we've leaned towards recently to include anyone and everyone that has short hair.

You know, we still say we're specific to short hair…

CNS: Yeah, I guess that answers my next question, but anyways… How has your business evolved over the past decade?

Anna: Well, I mean, that's definitely one of them. Moving away from, like, super traditional, because I do think the world has changed a lot. We've kind of moved past that. And I think people kind of understand the difference now, whereas maybe 10 years ago they didn't.

So, now people kind of get, okay, I know what I'm getting in a barbershop as opposed to a salon. And then also with the new location, we wanted something a bit more contemporary. Not quite so traditional like our old shop.

CNS: So, yeah, tell us about the new shop on Julu Road.

Anna: Yeah, we opened here late last year. Our lease was up in our old place, and it was time to move, I think. I think also Jing'an is more of a nightlife spot now. There are not as many restaurants, not as many shops. It's more like bars and clubs. So, we weren't really getting the daytime traffic.

So, because of that as well, Jing'an just seemed a bit quieter during the day. So, when an opportunity came up to move, we took it. Julu Road is a pretty iconic street.

CNS: Yeah, yeah, tell me about the new neighborhood. Do you like the new neighborhood?

Anna: Love it. Our neighbors are... They opened a little one-room bar just a few months ago. Really nice guys. If we have people sitting outside, they give us some chairs. If anybody wants a cocktail, we can pop next door and have something other than a beer.

Everyone's just more chill. There's also even the police in the neighborhood.

CNS: The police are nice?

Anna: Yeah they are friendly, it's just a nice community here all around.

CNS: Actually, you know what? Let's do a thing where we go back and... For people who don't know what's on offer on the menu, tell me what kind of services you provide.

Anna: We specialize in short hair. Trims, cuts and shaves, but it's usually more like a wash-and-wear kind of situation. And then a quick styling.

Our clients tend to be in the 30-55 range. We get a lot of teachers. We get a lot of architects, lawyers and bankers, a few students. You know, we get the full spectrum that you would get in a barbershop anywhere. And I think also our reputation, having been here for so long, means we are getting tourists.

We had a ton of people in when the F1 was in town…

CNS: Were you shaving lines in people's eyebrows? Mullet mohawks? I obviously don't know anything about the F1, but that's what I'm picturing for the style…

Anna: Exactly. Racing stripes. But in terms of services, yeah, we have our haircuts, beard trims, straight razor shaves and fades. We also do hot towel shaves and head shaves which are popular with bald gentlemen.

And then we have a father-son package as well. We get dads coming in with their kids…

CNS: That sounds pretty wholesome, actually.

Anna: Yeah, it is.

CNS: Is it walking off the street, or do people book ahead of time?

Anna: We have a booking app, a free program. So people can book online at their convenience.

But sometimes we'll have people in, and they'll say, "I was walking home from work, I saw your shop, it looked cool, so I thought I'd stop by."

So we do definitely get much more foot traffic. So appointments are not necessary, but like if it's a Saturday afternoon, you know, we can be busy.

CNS: You guys have been really active in the community, with art shows and pop-up events. Can you talk a bit about that?

Anna: In our old shop, we had a nice big wall, so we had kind of space to do art events. In a much smaller shop, we don't really have the space, so we don't do that anymore. But we still work quite closely with the Renewal Center.

Just at Christmas, we did a raffle. We raised over 6,000 yuan (US$834.7).

But we have the odd DJ party with a few friends stopping by, that kind of thing. We have a WeChat group, like everyone else, where people can find out about those.

CNS: What else can we plug? What else can we tell the people?

Anna: Can I also mention that we have Chantel as our junior barber now? So we have three price ranges at the moment. We have a junior barber, a senior barber and a master barber.

So I'm a master barber. Sid and Eddie are senior barbers, and then Chantel is our junior barber. She's been cutting hair for just under a year, and she's really coming up fast. So just to plug that…

CNS: Have you had any hair tragedies?

Anna: No, it's all been great. She's doing really well. She's learning really fast.

CNS: Let's finish with some Shanghai quality of life questions. What do you do when you're not working? What is your favorite part of the city?

Anna: I mean, of course, it's Xuhui. I used to live on Chang'an Road, and now when I'm in town, I always stay there. Because I know the neighborhood, it's comfortable; it's familiar. And when I'm not working, I mean, I love riding my bike around.

Meeting friends for coffee in Shanghai is so convenient that you can just text someone, "Do you want to have a coffee now?"

And they'll go, "Yeah, sure, let's meet in 10 minutes at this place."

You know, you can't do that in Bangkok or in New York. It takes time to travel.

CNS: Give me a restaurant recommendation. Or a bar recommendation. Or both…

Anna: I've been plugging Yaya's lately. So much that I think they need to start giving me some money haha. For drinks, I'll say the bar next door. Come for a haircut and get a drink after. They have cocktails on tap!

CNS: Oh, great!

Anna: And they're just a bunch of nice guys running it.

CNS: That's it! Painless! High five.

Anna: Thanks! It's been a while since we did this…

If you go...

Doc's Barbershop

Address: 360-7 Julu Rd (near Shaanxi Rd S.)

巨鹿路360-7号,近陕西南路