You Just Relax With A Hot Towel Shave At Franklin's Barber Shop In Philly
Oct 28, 2024
Tony Reilly, the shop's proprietor, says “if you don't do shaves, you’re not a barber—you just cut hair." The straight razor, by law, is what sets a barber apart from a cosmetologist, and Tony feels that tradition is important to keep alive. Unfortunately, it's getting harder to find these days.
Watch the haircut video with Tony here:
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Relax & Unwind In Philly’s Fishtown...
30:33
Tony grew up in Philly and Florida. After studying graphic design, marketing, advertising, and fashion industry management in college, Tony wasn’t sure what path he ultimately wanted to pursue so he decided to serve in the Navy for 5 years.
It was during his time in the Navy when Tony's interest in haircuts and styling grew. Tony loves the tradition and historical aspect of barbering. He thinks it’s cool that “barbering has been a part of every culture since the dawn of time.
”What's important to Tony is, "to actually uphold what it is to be a barber, and not just the word, like traditional gets thrown around a lot, but I think it kind of doesn't have as much meaning to most people." For him, the word “traditional” goes deeper than just a certain aesthetic look: "It’s a methodology, and it’s the whole approach.”
After working as a Senior Barber and Shop Manager at The Nite Owl Barber Shop in Toronto
for a year, Tony returned to the USA and opened Franklin’s Barber Shop in 2017. The shop is named after his son
Tony recalls the day he took his test to become a licensed barber is the day his son was born!
Franklin's Barber Shop is a true representation of Tony. Many of the items you see hanging up inside are straight from his home. His favorite piece? The "Someone Talked" WWII poster.The 1930s barber chairs and workstations came from an old barbershop down the road (15-20 minutes away). The shop was from the early 1900s and had been closed since the 80s so the chairs and everything were just sitting in the building the family owned. Although they were hesitant to sell everything, they were glad the pieces would later find a new home in a barbershop.
Even the fridge is from the 1930s! Tony is the 3rd owner and says it's still going strong - keeping everything ice-cold
▶ For more videos from traditional barbershops across the USA check out this playlist:
• Barbershops of the USA 
If the shop's color palette looks familiar, it was inspired from his time at The Nite Owl Barber Shop - he had Brian Hurson's blessing to use it
Life Advice: Be on time. Do the jobs that other people don't want to do which will help you go farther in life and your career.
