Station Thirty Three — Local services in Oakland

I should probably start off by saying that my experience here was nothing short of terrible. I entered the barber shop at around 10 or 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning Thinking that I could probably be out of there within the hour. As I walked in I noticed I was not greeted in any manner whatsoever. As I walked in I noticed about five to six Barbers that were there in the shop but only three the four of them were actually cutting at the time we're sitting in their chairs having a conversation with one another. Although I did notice a sign in walk-in sheet I didn't find it necessary to sign up for it considering I was the only one in the waiting area / Lobby. Not to mention that there were two Barbers that weren't doing a thing. Now I did however notice a sign-up sheet for walk-ins, but considering there was no one that head of me and two Barbers doing nothing I figured it wasn't necessary. So after waiting about 20 to 30 minutes with no contact from any of the barber I decided that it was time for me to go. As I was leaving not one Barber stop to make contact with me to ask me if I needed a haircut or anything like that. I think compare my experience most to being at the DMV. Although I would love to support black-owned businesses this is one of the main reasons why I can't and don't sometime. I did however go to a barber shop on Ashby in Berkeley that was run by another culture. Even though I feel that I could have probably gotten a better cut from the place in Oakland the place and Berkley's customer service was unmatched they even offered me a bottle of water as I walked in told me my wait time and asked if I would like to purchase any snacks while waiting or check out the smaller clothing store that they had there. Basically long story short don't support black-owned businesses just because they're black let it be the icing on the cake of good...

A young fellow named Ham and Cheese cut my hair. I asked for a "tight fade." This is well known style. I was given a very mediocre cut without a proper hairline trim. Instead the barber used a black pencil to create the line, and essentially color in my hair where recedes. I did not ask for this! It was essentially fake cut.I was also charged $50! This cut is normally $30 plus tip. If you use this shop, get really specific with the barber, and do not let Ham and Cheese use a pencil on you....unless...

Very professional and great attention to detail. Walked in for a cut late on a Thursday evening around 6pm. The shop was lively, but not crowded. I was able to get seen by Merv right away. I could tell by the questions he asked about how I wanted my cut and the care he used with his tools that he was serious. I was as happy with the results as with the process. I've got a tricky hairline, but the line-up was perfect - just the way I like it. Will make this...