Scissors & Scotch plans new HQ, training center in Crossroads Arts District

A fast-growing upscale barber shop franchise will trim out a new headquarters in the Crossroads Arts District, building on its leadership’s Kansas City roots.

Scissors & Scotch, based in Mission, on June 16 acquired a two-story historic building at 1908 Main St. from Mission Peak Capital. The business paid $1.8 million, obtaining a $1.62 million loan from Union Bank & Trust in connection with the deal.

As Scissors & Scotch continues in “high-growth mode,” with 20 U.S. stores open and more than 20 others in the works, its leaders sought to establish a base in Kansas City, the hometown of two of its three co-founders — Erik Anderson and Sean Finley.

To that end, Finley said, Scissors & Scotch canvassed Downtown and the Crossroads for sites to open a new brand headquarters. The space will not have a public shop but rather a hands-on franchisee training center and showroom beneath corporate offices. The search took several years because of the pandemic, but the business was not deterred.

“We weren’t desperate for a space, and we were wanting to find the perfect fit,” Finley said. “We wanted something that was functional, that we were proud to show off, that would fit the vibe of the (Scissors & Scotch) shops but also (where) we could do everything out of that space we wanted to for training.”

Once open, barbers and stylists will undergo training on the new headquarters’ ground floor, which Scissors & Scotch will design to resemble one of its shops, with features such as dark wood accents and polished concrete floors. Finley said those new to town also will have the chance to gain a new sense of Kansas City in the process, within walking distance of downtown attractions and numerous restaurants.

“You can really get a look and feel for what Kansas City is about with that location, and so it’s going to be really cool to show that off to everyone who’s flying in from all over the country,” he said. “They can get immersed in Kansas City and Scissors & Scotch all through that space.”

Also of appeal, Finley said, was the 1908 Main location’s history. Originally completed in 1920, the 4,408-square-foot building colloquially has been called the Pendergast Building. Political boss Tom Pendergast chaired the Jackson County Democratic Club’s operations on site in the 1920s and 1930s. The building is listed on the Kansas City Register of Historic Places.

Scissors & Scotch aims to begin operations from its new training center in the fourth quarter and its corporate offices in first quarter.

“It’ll be a really cool billboard for the Scissors & Scotch brand,” said Finley, citing 1908 Main’s central location and streetcar adjacency. “It’s not lost on us that it’ll have a lot of eyes on it. … We want Kansas City to know that Scissors & Scotch is proud to be from here and will always be from here.”

Eric Rose of Cresa in Omaha represented Scissors & Scotch in its 1908 Main transaction. Tim Schaffer, Sean Craven and Jay Hawkins of AREA Real Estate Advisors represented Mission Peak Capital.

Scissors & Scotch’s shop locations meld haircuts, shaves and grooming with spa-like services, such as a steamed towel treatment, scalp massage and “face refresher.” Customers also may imbibe beer, coffee or cocktails from its full-service bars.

The business has three Kansas City-area locations — Olathe, Overland Park and Prairie Village — and a fourth set to open later this summer in Lenexa. It now has 11 corporate and more than 350 systemwide employees.

This story appeared in the Kansas City Business Journal.