Hair of the Dog Bar/bershop opened at 323 E. Monroe in downtown Springfield in July 2018 with a business model that blends classic barbering and alcohol. Owner Jeremy Bredemeyer is now expanding to Chatham, although the new location wont be tied to a bar. Instead, Damms Barbershop, located at 206 W. Mulberry Street in Chatham, is now Sit Still Barber Shop by Hair of the Dog.
Bredemeyer said, My sister is a barber who works at the downtown location, and shes dating Brett Damm. He owned a shop in Chatham and was newer to the business. I tried to help him out for a while, but he ended up deciding hed rather work for me and let me run the business side of it. We both came to the conclusion that might work out better.
Damm will continue working out of the Chatham location, along with Bernie Flesch, who was originally at the downtown shop. Bredemeyer said he wouldnt rule out opening additional locations in the future, but wants to make sure the quality of the haircuts remains consistent.
I train barbers similar to the way they used to do it when there was a barbers union. I train them so they have an understanding of actual barbering; it takes a year to train each person. Its not enough to just graduate from school and get your license, he explained.
Bredemeyer said, There are a lot of guys who come downtown who are excited were opening out in Chatham. It will be pretty much the same haircut, wherever you go.
Bredemeyer was recognized as one of Springfield Business Journals Forty Under 40 in 2018.