The House of Artisan Barber — Local services in New York

I normally don’t leave reviews, but I felt like I should share what I’ve seen and heard about Artisan Barber. In my opinion, the shop is overpriced for what you get — the haircuts feel pretty average, and there’s a lot of pressure to buy the owner’s homemade products instead of focusing on the service. What really made me lose respect for this place were the stories from people who worked there. I’ve heard from multiple past employees who said it was extremely difficult to get the money they were owed after leaving. Some of them, grown men, explained that they literally had to pressure the owner just to be paid. The part that stuck with me most, though, was about a young college student who worked here to help pay off her tuition. She described being constantly disrespected while on the job and then left without her final paychecks. Unlike the older employees who could stand up for themselves, she didn’t have the same leverage — and it felt like the owner took advantage of that. She left completely distraught, and as far as I know, she still hasn’t gotten any justice. Between the way employees have been treated and the lack of value for customers, I personally wouldn’t recommend this shop at all. There are plenty of other barbershops in the city that respect both their staff and their clients.

Update

9/17/2025

To be clear, I’m not a former employee — I’m a customer. And this has nothing to do with the barbers, who are skilled and professional. My concerns are specifically about the owner, Charley McCoy Oyekwe, and the way he runs the business. Multiple Yelp reviews mention employees struggling to get paid fairly, and one story about a college student being left without her final paychecks was especially troubling. In my opinion, dismissing these concerns instead of addressing them only makes the situation look...

Response to OWNER Charley McCoy Oyekwe,

Thank you for your reply. I’d like to clarify several important details so readers have the full context. I worked at Artisan Barber as a front desk concierge while also being a college student, and this experience left me distraught. When I was first onboarded, I was excited to join what I thought was an honest business, but instead I encountered false promises and pressure. In addition to my front desk role, I was often pushed to obtain appointments for the owner when his schedule was empty, and asked to create reports, graphics, marketing materials, and client feedback summaries. I was also asked to clean, handle projects, and even watch the owner’s child at his apartment — yet I was classified as an “independent contractor.” At times I was pressured to accept half pay because, as the owner explained, he did not have enough to cover all employees. Other staff shared similar frustrations with me, saying they too had to push aggressively just to be paid. When I left, my exit interview became very uncomfortable. The owner grew irate when I brought up wages I was still owed and was disrespectful toward my family — even implying we only spoke Spanish when upset, which I personally found racist and offensive. Since then, I have been contacted with partial payment offers and requests to sign paperwork, which to me felt more like pressure to stay silent than efforts to resolve the issue. This is the first time I’ve ever had to call out an employer for unpaid wages, but as a student and worker who values honesty, I will not be silenced. This review reflects only my personal experience and opinion. I encourage others to read multiple reviews and make their...

Wanted to treat myself and spend a little more on a haircut than I usually do at the barber. Booked with William as he had a lot of mentions in reviews.

My first time in here and William was incredibly rude to me as a first time customer. I brought in a photo and told him some additional details I wanted on my cut. I was hoping he’d work with me to style a new cut since this was a nicer shop. It had been a while since my last cut and he was really rushed and abrasive and treated me like I didn’t know what I was talking about the entire time.

He was very pushy with moving my head, would snap at to keep my head straight or tilted when I hadn’t even moved it or he had moved it during the cut (never had issues with this at other barbers, so shouldnt have been an issue here).

Overall it was a rushed 25 minute haircut. No amenities, no foam, alcohol, hot towel at the end. Ended up having to touch up tons of stray hairs when I got home. My head literally hurts after this haircut from how rough he was with the clippers and scissors. I’ve been going to barbers around here for almost ten years and haven’t had this bad of an experience and most of them are charging half of what these guys are charging.

For $50, this was an awful experience compared to cheaper options in the neighborhood and I wish I could get my money back. Wouldn’t...