Premier Barbers Barber Shop:
shopFOCUS
Old School Services with New School Attitude
After Jeremy “JJ” Johnston graduated from high school, he enrolled in the
military and thought that he was headed for a long career in uniform. It
did last for six years, but then he was involved in a tragic car accident with
a drunk driver, sending him back home to recuperate and re-evaluate his
future. To this day he thanks God and the loving support of his family for
his success in barbering. It all started by picking up a clippers in high school,
then gaining skill and confidence on base, and finally professional training
and licensure at the local barber college. In January 23, 2010 JJ hosted the
grand opening celebration of his barber shop, Premier Barbers, a long-time
goal that was finally realized. BOM chatted with JJ to see how he made his
dream a reality.
Q: What events lead you to opening up your shop/why did you want to
become a shop owner?
I accredit barbers Rex Howard and Anthony Bolden who I worked with to put
on the Knox Vegas Hair Show in Knoxville, TN, for sparking my drive to open
my own shop. While Anthony and I were attending school at the Knoxville
Institute of Hair Design, we worked with Rex, who had been giving demonstrations at the school, to form the idea for the show. The Knoxville area did
not have one up until that point, so we knew it needed one. We wanted to
get the local shops involved, giving me the opportunity to meet other stylists and barbers and visit many different kinds of shops. I saw when I liked
and a lot of what I didn’t like. This fueled my desire to open my own shop, so
I used the show as a launching platform.
Q: What did you envision your shop would be like?
I knew I wanted it to have that old school feel with some of the traditional
services, like straight razor shaves using hot towels with a relaxing neck
massages, but I also wanted it to have a new school look. I felt like the
barber shop as a man’s hangout was going out of style, being replaced by
combining shops with salons. I wanted to recreate an era where shops were
a place guys could come in and call their own, but make sure that everyone
would feel comfortable, regardless of background, age, or ethnicity.
Q: What did you take into consideration when deciding where to put your
shop?
I hunted for an area that didn’t have a competing barber shop, specifically
one that could do all types of hair. I found out that many people were going
out of town to find a shop. I decided to establish my business in Newport,
TN which is almost an hour away from Knoxville, but within 20 minutes from
three colleges and the exact location I found is close to a Walmart, which I
liked because there was a lot of car and foot traffic, making my shop highly
visible. I also thought of putting the local high school colors into my logo so
that they would be draw