Business Spotlight: Old-fashioned service at Cipriani's Downtown Barber Shop

Barbering isn't simply a career to Nick Fontanez. It's a family legacy that he is carrying on at his own barber shop in downtown Carson City.

The third-generation barber and grandson to the founders of the original Cipriani's Barber Shop opened his own space Jan. 30 in downtown Carson City at 318 North Carson Street.

"I was looking for a location for a long time and this one popped up," Fontanez said. "I really couldn't ask for a better spot to be in."

His family still operates the original Cipriani's, where Fontanez spent the first nine years of his profession.

That shop has been located at 807 North Plaza Street for the past 14 years. Before that, Cipriani's had been a fixture for three decades on Idaho Street in South Carson City.

Fontanez credits his family with inspiring him to become a barber in his own right and with his own style.

"I learned a little bit of everything from everyone," he said. "I feel like that's made me a really well-rounded barber."

From his parents to grandparents, aunt, uncle and even a cousin who were all part of the trade, Fontanez said he draws from each person in his life to give his customers the best barbering experience possible.

"It's like a melting pot of barbering in our family," he said. "Everybody had their influence on me."

Now Fontanez has his own barber shop, 500 square feet in a building shared by the Carson Cigar Company and Battle Born Social. He said the venue has a lot of appeal, in part because of its proximity to other unique businesses.

"Getting a drink and a haircut, getting a cigar with your buddies afterwards, this location is really a man cave, and it lends itself well as a location where people can come hang out for a few hours," Fontanez said. "I can't think of a better way to spend a day off."

Then there is all of the natural light that his space is afforded, courtesy of the large windows fronting Carson Street.

"Down here you really get to experience downtown Carson City through these big windows," he said. "If you are getting your hair cut, you are also watching the cars go by, seeing people walk by, and you are noticing just how much activity is really down here."

The copious amount of natural light also adds to Cipriani's social appeal, Fontanez said, something barber shops across the country have long been noted for.

"We're the original hub of the community where you can come and hang out," he said. "We are the original social network. You can find out what happened in town just by hanging out at the barber shop."

Barbers should be as much skilled in the art of listening as they are in hair-cutting and grooming, Fontanez said, because human communication is such a large part of the barber shop experience.

"That's what people value about the barber shop," he said. "It's the tradition."

Clients often confide in their barbers information they may not share with others, Fontanez said, recalling that he knew about the pregnancy of a client's wife before rest of the family did.

"I knew about that before his dad, his brothers, uncles, the whole family," Fontanez said. "And I cut the whole family's hair."

Another client admiztted to Fontanez that he had once been wanted by the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (KGB), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol for trying to run away with his Russian nationalist sweetheart.

"You just never know who you're going to meet, or what you're going to hear, or what you're going to experience, because everybody has a different perspective and different life," he said. "This is a place where you can share those experiences."

Cipriani's Downtown Barber Shop offers a variety of haircuts and styles, as well as straight razor shaves, facial hair trimming and grooming, and even shoe shining.

"We are going full service here," Fontanez said.

Mike Smith, owner of Shiny Soles, rents space inside Cipriani's for his shoe-shine chair, ready to seat anyone seeking to experience a professional, old-time shoe shine service. He is available Tuesdays and Fridays at Cipriani's Downtown Barber Shop.

Old-fashioned ambiance. Traditional service. A comfortable place to relax and chat.

That's Cipriani's Downtown Barber Shop, open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Nick Fontanez accepts clients by appointment, while walk-in barber John Russell takes customers as they come throughout the day.

Visit Cipriani's Downtown Barber Shop Facebook page for more information, or call 775-515-4038 to make an appointment.

Mike Smith can be contacted at 775-508-9305 for his shoe-shine service.