Lee's Barber Shop Keeps it Simple, Offering Haircuts Without the Fuss

Michael Densford knows that some men just want a haircut and a shave without needing fancy décor or gimmicks.

Densford, 30, took ownership of Lee’s Barber Shop in Nov. 2011, and while he has added new chairs and plans to update the stations, paint and some other amenities, he likes keeping the barbershop a barbershop — plain and simple.

has been open in Naperville since 1964 and it has been at the same location on north Washington Street for the last 15 years, Densford said. The clientele is a mixture of old timers and younger men, some seeking special urban-inspired cuts.

For the last five years Densford has worked as a barber at the shop. 

He was in college studying to be a teacher, but many of the men in his wife’s family were barbers. He was told being a barber would be a perfect fit for someone like him, both social and laid back.

He decided to go to barber school and worked for a short time in Rockford before taking a station at Lee’s. Densford said he really enjoys the work and wasn’t daunted at taking over the business, even in a slow economy. 

“You become friends with your customers,” he said. “The older customers, some have been coming her for 30 years. It becomes a community.” 

Using social media, like Yelp and Facebook, including his personal page, Densford is working to increase his clientele and trying to draw younger customers, he said. While in one chair there may be a client in his 20s in another chair there may be a man in his 80s. And for the younger clients, “it’s kind of cool to hear the stories,” that the old guys tell.

The shop has all range of clientele from business men, to seniors, kids to military, Densoford said.

Not only is the clientele diverse in age, but Lee’s also offers culturally diverse styles, he said. Along with the taper cuts a barber knows how to achieve, clients can get a straight razor shave and barber Josh Burrell offers "graffix" designs for the younger customers seeking intricate styles. 

While it may seem like a boy’s club much of the time, the salon employs two female barbers who have both been working at the shop for many, many years. 

Customers can ask for a standard shave, but the shop also offers a “vapor shave,” Densford said. 

“It’s like putting lotion on your face and wiping it off with a butter knife,” he said.

Some of the regulars may stop at the barbershop several times a week, Densford said, as was the case with a client getting a cut Monday.

Saturday is the busiest day of the week, Densford said, and the shop has a line of chairs for anyone who might have to wait. To make up for a slower Monday, Lee’s offers those in the military a $10 haircut ($13 the rest of the week). Seniors always get a cut for $13. The standard haircut is $16. On Tuesday kids under 14 get a $14 cut. A shave and a hair cut runs a client $30 and a graphic cut is also $30.

Burrell, who does standard cuts and the intricate "graffix" styles still sought after by some clients, began cutting hair when he was a teenager, he said. He used to cut all of his friends’ hair and when he went into the Navy did cuts for his friends.  

The place is no “clip joint,” Densford said. All of the barbers are professionally trained, and while some men may go to salons to get their hair done, Densford said the barbers are skilled and know how to handle men’s hair and understand the different textures. 

“It’s cool when young kids come in,” Densford said. “A barbershop is a guy thing. It's like a rite of passage. ...  It’s almost like a TV show in here, we all play our little roles. 

The shop doesn’t have corporate backing or fancy designs like some other salons, he said.

“We’re more personal with our customers,” he said. “You are not only going to get a haircut, you’re going to get to hang out with the guys.”