Eric Foncault, owner and barber at the new Traditions A Barber Parlor, has been cutting hair in Park City for almost nine years now.
This Reno, Nevada, native’s road to barbering was unconventional — first, Foncault joined the Navy, right out of high school.
“I graduated in June and I was in boot camp in August,” he said.
After serving 10 years, stationed in Japan, San Diego and then Reno, Foncault decided to leave the military. But after working a few warehouse jobs, he explained that he felt like a part of him had gotten lost. He knew he needed to find a different line of work.
“One thing that I missed immediately after leaving the Navy was the professionalism. … That was one of the things that had me looking for a new career,” he said.
For him, visits to the barber were little escapes, and he quickly became friends with his barber. The job seemed to be calling to him.
“I like it because it’s both professional but laid-back at the same time,” he said. “You’re working, you’re being productive, but at the same time, it’s not corporate America.”
He moved to Salt Lake City to attend The Barber School. Right before graduating, in 2015, he found a job in Park City and decided to join the ranks of commuters and get out of Salt Lake’s saturated market.
After a successful run and a collection of loyal clients, Foncault was ready to take the next step and open a shop of his own. But it wasn’t easy.
“All the time I hear my guys talk about how there aren’t very many barber shops up here. And it’s kind of a challenging environment to start a barber shop,” he said.
M. Todd Gonnerman, owner and barber at Park City Barber Shop, who opened his luxury shop in November 2020 and actually cut Foncault’s hair for a while, agreed.
After selling his barber shop in Sugar House, Gonnerman almost returned home to Omaha when a space in Deer Valley Plaza opened. While timing wasn’t ideal, the desperate need for a post-quarantine haircut brought plenty of clients to his door and now he’s plenty busy.
Gonnerman’s style is the Jay Sebring method, which involves shampooing first, cutting with scissors, and blow drying.
“Jay Sebring was a Hollywood hairstylist back in the 1960s, who was unfortunately murdered by the Manson family. He used to cut Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Jim Morrison, Kirk Douglas. I mean, he cut everybody’s hair,” said Gonnerman.
For a little over three years, Gonnerman has been going to Las Vegas to train with the Sebring family in this method.
“So, the way movie stars wear their hair is kind of how I cut hair,” he said. “I cut the hair in a way so it falls naturally into a nice shape. You’re not having to load your hair up with products,” said Gonnerman.
This approach brings him a loyal set of clients.
“I have people fly here from Miami, San Francisco, Dallas,” he said. “People that come here from all over, that have second homes up here, and they schedule trips around getting their haircut.”
Like Foncault, Gonnerman recognized a real need for barbers in the area, saying that in summertime he often works 60-hour weeks if he has to.
“A barber in a standard barbershop, say they’re working 40 hours a week, doing a haircut every 30 minutes. … One barber over the course of four weeks can service 320 clients,” he said, quickly doing the math. “If there’s 8,000 people up here, 4,000 of them are guys, and each barber can handle 300 clients — we need more barbers.”
And that’s with the existing population. With Summit County projected to grow from 42,394 on July 1, 2020 to 59,603 in 2060, according to the Ken C. Gardner Policy Institute, the need only grows.
“Everybody needs a haircut. Everybody’s hair keeps growing. And that’s not going to go away. So that’s kind of where we’re at up here,” he said.
With the opening of Traditions, Foncault is eager to provide another place for men to go.
It took a year and a half before he could find a retail space within his budget and with a good location, and of course, he found the space a month before his wife delivered their baby. Perfect timing.
Despite the challenges, Traditions A Barber Parlor came together, and he said his first two months have gone well.
The heart behind Traditions hinges on the history of barbering.
“I like the history behind barbering and the Americana, almost. The things that are traditional and old school,” said Foncault.
“I kind of got the idea from this puzzle,” he said, pointing to a 5,000 piece puzzle showing an old-timey barbershop, framed and hung in his shop. “You can see in the back it says Tonsorial Parlor. And Tonsorial Parlor is just an old, traditional name for a barber shop.”
The word “tonsorial” translates to cutting, clipping or trimming hair with shears or razors. It’s a concept which dates back to Roman Times. These parlors were considered inner sanctums for men to receive high-level barbering services.
Foncault wants to bring these sanctums to Park City.
“Society is changing, and as life gets so fast paced, I kind of want the barbershop to be a little bit of a throwback, … a place where people, men, feel comfortable coming to hang out, and it becomes part of your monthly, your weekly routine,” he said.
This is possible because historically, barbering fits a unique place in people’s lives.
“It’s because you build a camaraderie with the client, you become friends, you see this person month after month, year after year. You know about their family, you know all about them, they know all about you,” said Gonnerman.
“I know 80-year-old barbers who’ve been cutting people’s hair, for the same guy, for 50 years. Most barbers retire because their clients have all died, or they die,” said Gonnerman with a laugh. “I’ve never seen a profession where you have guys in their 80s, and into their 90s even, cutting hair still.”
A sophisticated atmosphere is created at Traditions with touches of warm colors — dimpled, black leather couches, a felt dart board hung on the wall. A corner bookshelf separates the room, decorated with old books, bronze statues of Ancient heroes and orderly rows of Pete & Pedro hair and body products.
“I like (Pete & Pedro) because it’s a line that’s specifically designed for men. And it’s at a reasonable price point, but the main reason I like it is because they have a little bit of everything,” said Foncault.
Simply designed bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash are displayed along with hair styling products like hairspray, gel and traditional pomade. There are even facial and beard products, which Foncault uses for clients who come in for a shave.
“I want my environment to be both professional but inviting and relaxing at the same time. Professional without being uptight,” he said.
Foncault said he enjoys all aspects of barbering, especially doing full haircuts using all shears for longer styles.
Looking forward, Foncault has big dreams for Park City.
“Park City is the type of place that deserves a kick-ass barbershop. You know what I mean?” he said with a smile. “I’d like to have a four-chair shop with a pool table and go for a full men’s lounge or club.”
For more information: traditionsabarberparlor.com.