Hers and His in Clarksville

 

Another assumption smashed. I naturally assumed that Victoria and Albert Hair at Clarksville Commons was named after this Victoria and Albert.

Image from Windsor and Royal Borough Museum Website

Silly me. The salon was opened in Ellicott City in 1974 by Victoria and Albert Clark. And, if I could find a photo of the founders, I’d put it here. Alas.

UPDATE: This photo found by reader Shannon Drury! I’m impressed.

The current owners are Christie Kaiser and Scott Schmidt.

Image from Victoria and Albert Hair Website

The salon moved from Ellicott City to Columbia in 1986, then opened their new location at Clarksville Commons in 2018. I’ve seen the exterior of the business many times when attending events at the Commons or picking up a meal at the Common Kitchen.

A little internet digging gave me some views of the interior.

Image from Victoria and Albert Hair Website 

Pristine. Immaculate. Soothing neutral tones. I can imagine getting away from it all and spending an hour or so investing in some self-care. 

Well, here comes a new look for Victoria and Albert which will co-exist inside the established hair salon. A new Albert for Victoria, if you will.

Photo credit: Victoria & Albert Hair

The men of Howard County have a new place to go for a relaxing shave and haircut with the opening of an old-fashioned barber shop inside Victoria & Albert Hair. Master Barber, Rob Humienny, and Level 1 Barber, Parker Warner are the newest members of the level structure salon located at Clarksville Commons.

The announcement of the new venture was passed along to me by Kerry Lenny of the Caplan Group. If you’ve ever wondered how I always seem to be up-to-date on things happening at Clarksville Commons, it’s largely because of Ms. Lenny. She keeps me in the loop. 

From the press release:

Occupying its own space within the shop, the barber area features traditional-style leather barber chairs, a whiskey barrel sink, and shiplap accents helping to create a unique and distinctly masculine design. Barbers Rob and Parker offer classic services including straight razor shave, haircut, beard trims, and head shaves. Serving clients of all ages, V&A Barbers offer styles from traditional executive contours to the precision of razor fades and creative sculpting.

The new old-fashioned barber space reminds me of the overall vibes of the sadly-departed Jaxon Edwin Social House in Old Ellicott City.

Jaxon Edwin, photo credit Brian Krista, Baltimore Sun Media Group

While the now-defunct Jaxon Edwin business model included casual food and grownup beverages, it won’t be hard to approximate that at the Victoria and Albert Barber Shop. It’s conveniently located near the Common Kitchen plus the Clarksville Commons Restaurants. (Although I doubt you can have cocktails delivered.)

In some ways it feels to me as though Victoria and Albert has created a Man Cave in the middle of a hair salon. It’s an interesting concept. What do you think of the new look? Have you noticed a resurgence in men you know who are looking for the old-school barber shop experience? 

Since I’ve never experienced the old-school barber shop experience, I have plenty to learn. Fill me in.

Victoria and Albert Hair is on Facebook  and Instagram.