Cuts And Cocktails: Experience More Than Just A Barbershop

Blind Barber co-founders Jeff Laub, Josh Boyd and Adam Kirschenbaum at the venue’s newest location in Miami Beach

After six successful turns in the Midwest, New York and California, Blind Barber is bringing its male moxie to Miami with a location at the Nautilus by Arlo hotel in South Beach. The concept was developed by founder Jeff Laub when, after a talk with his grandfather about his misgivings regarding wanting to be a barber, the older man told him what he loved most about visiting his barbershop: the camaraderie. “I remember him saying it was his favorite place to hang out, get a cut, tell stories with friends and drink a cold beer,” says Laub. “That’s when the lightbulb went off and I thought, ‘That’s what I want!’” Laub went on to enlist the help of partners Josh Boyd and Adam Kirschenbaum (NYC hospitality veterans) and the business was born. The concept is straightforward enough: Blind Barber is your friendly neighborhood barbershop where you go for a cut, a shave, a beard trim and some scotch—albeit with that hipster touch New Yorkers are so good at finessing. The venue caught on; a fourth partner, Matt Breen, came on and launched a product line now available globally; and additional locations in Manhattan as well as Los Angeles and Chicago followed. Thus, Miami simply made sense. “We’d all spent a lot of time in Miami,” adds Laub. “It’s the perfect blend of vibrance, flavor and passion with that art deco beach life.” The South Beach debut does up the ante a bit, however. “This is a full partnership with the hotel, so we take the glamour up a notch,” says Laub. “We have a specific cocktail menu, four from our other locations, four by Arlo and four seasonal Miami drinks, and we’ll serve a small food menu. We knew this place had to resonate with South Beach and feel like home.” 1825 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305.503.5700