Birds Barbershop Now Open in Houston Heights

Birds Barbershop – voted “Best Barbershop” by the Austin Chronicle for the past 11 years – has chosen Houston as the first city outside of its home market for expansion. After vetting other cities for growth, including Dallas and Nashville, co-founders Michael Portman and Jayson Rapaport decided to plant their first flag outside their hometown at 420 E. 20th Street in Houston’s Heights neighborhood, which is now open for business.

“After years of being asked when we were going to open a barber shop in Houston, we now have a great historical space right in the heart of the Heights,” said Portman. “The mid-century details of the building are the icing on top of the customer-focused experience we are bringing to people who need an affordable, quality haircut in Houston.”

In 2006, Portman and Rapaport – childhood friends from Laredo, Texas – found themselves living in Austin with nowhere to get an affordable, high-quality haircut. Together they created a salon for men and women, took out all the fuss, and added free Shiner beer to the experience. An addiction to old school arcade games developed. Birds Barbershop has been named six consecutive times to ELLE Magazine’s list of the 100 best salons in America and by the Austin Chronicle as Best Barbershop every year since opening. Today, Birds Barbershop employs more than 150 people in nine locations across Texas.

“Houston is Austin’s backyard. After a decade in business, we’ve watched many of our customers graduate to a life in Texas’ most cosmopolitan seaport,” said Rapaport. “Houston is a cultural capital on the rise and we want to be here sooner than later.”

For the company’s first Houston location, the team looked to community swimming pools for design inspiration. As a historic place where all walks of life come together, Birds Heights’ sunny interior features civic blues of patio tile, pennant flags and seven-foot circular window. The Birds design team collaborated on the shop with Houston’s Dandee Warhol of War'Hous Visual Studios. The converted space – previously a laundromat – is now a destination where men, women and kids can walk in for high-quality, affordable cuts (Shortcut $25, Ladybird $45, Kidcut $20), while enjoying classic video games and a curated mixtape soundtrack.

Haircuts at Birds Barbershop (#birdshouston) are available to those who walk-in or call ahead (713-999-0800), with appointments available for color services. The shop address is 420 E. 20th St., Houston, TX 77008 and shares the building with Steel City Pops. For more details, visit birdsbarbershop.com or follow up on Instagram @birdsbarbershop.