• Frank’s Chop Shop

  19 Essex St., 212-228-7442

  When the heads at street-culture magazine Frank151 decided to open a flagship retail location, they scrapped tired options like sneaker boutiques and skate shops in favor of a barbershop called Frank’s Chop Shop. It’s more than just a gimmick, though; the cuts are good, satisfying a clientele that ranges from downtown skateboarders and graffiti celebrities taking advantage of head barber Mr. Bee’s freestyle design talents to investment bankers and professors looking for the full-service hot-towel treatment and straight-edge-razor shave. Wu-Tang Clan’s U-God and GZA along with actor Rick Gonzalez have all been lured in by the Chop Shop’s singular combination of old-school service and new-school skills. Cuts go for between $25 and $40, shaves for $15.

From the 2007 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine