Shears & Shaves Pampers All on The Ave of Fashion

Saginaw native Dawn Sanford learned the building blocks of running a business under the tutelage of her grandmother, who owned a diner called Chili Mac’s. “Coming up around the restaurant and the property my parents owned instilled a good work ethic in me. I was a people person and I knew I’d own something someday,” Sanford says.

When she found out she was pregnant, she dropped the traditional desk job route, picked up the barbershop trade and never looked back. “I was scared of having a child in the ’70s, but my mother told me that I couldn’t walk away from it like a man could. My family was my driving factor,” she says. “Women didn’t cut hair, but I did.”

This August, Sanford opened the doors to Shears & Shaves on the Avenue of Fashion, a culmination of years of study at the Michigan Barber School and half a lifetime of travel and experience. Shears & Shaves is a high-quality, guest-oriented salon and spa offering a mix of services that blend nostalgia and the new school, from hot lather shaves and shoe shining to paraffin treatments and aromatherapy massages.

“I learned about dopamine and sweet smells and all that, because I want my shop to be the place in the community where anyone can come get everything done – and walk out feeling comfortable and refreshed,” Sanford says.

Shears & Shaves is inclusive and mindful, double-sided for men and women and designed with care and style. Men and boys can play chess while getting loc touch-ups in the custom-designed chairs while ladies enjoy pedicures in spa recliners with disposable jets.

20202 Livernois Ave., Detroit • 313-397-2425