The August Dispatch — White's Barber Co.
July was the setup. August was the swing. We told you in July to stop waiting for a reason to come by. Some of you listened. For those who didn't — here's what you missed.
The needle finally dropped. The Listening Session went from an idea we kept whispering about to a room with people sitting with one album, start to finish, the way it was meant to be heard. B. Blanco on the turntables. Lights low. No skips, no shuffle, no talking over the good part. Just Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?" and a room that actually listened to it. If you've never done it, it's hard to explain what happens in that room. Something in the shop changes when forty-something minutes of music get the respect of everyone's full attention. Phones go down. Strangers start talking to each other about a part they'd never noticed before. That's the whole thing. That's why we built it. And Vol. 02 already got the vote. Three albums were up: • Reasonable Doubt — Jay-Z, 1996 • Exodus — Bob Marley & The Wailers, 1977 • The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Lauryn Hill, 1998
Here's the part people keep getting wrong: we're not voting anybody out. All three are getting played. We're deciding what goes first. The winner leads off Vol. 02, and the other two are already on the calendar behind it. So vote like it matters, because the order matters. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" got the win. Together we will listen and find out why this album is a classic and galvanized as one of the greatest single records of all time.
Blue Light happened, and the people who were there aren't telling you about it. Third Monday. Door opens at 8. Blue bulb goes on at 9 and the shop stops being a shop. Twenty-one and up, grown and sexy, and that's about as much as we're going to put in writing. #IYKYK
The pipeline is real now. In July we told you we were building a training pathway out of Fort Detrick. In August it stopped being a plan and became a person — a novice barber working a structured development program with a chair at Detrick two days a week and shadow shifts here the rest of it. Real gates, a mentor closely observing very phase before anyone advances. That's how our profession survives. Somebody put in the work on us; we are paying it forward.
If you've been curious about what happens now that Janeen has expanded: Two chairs are open. We're looking for two more professional, mature barbers to join us. We'll say up front what we say in every conversation: our standard is systems and culture. If that reads like a fit rather than a warning, come talk to us.
EDUCATION DAY — We are getting back to one of the facets that sets White's apart from other shops. We foster opportunities for growth and learning here. A hands-on shear cutting class is on the horizon. BACK-TO-SCHOOL DRIVE — Our community came together and collected several book-bags and ample supplies to donate to the Legacy Foundation championed by our sister, Nicole Jones.
The clubs kept moving:
The Run Club put in another month of miles hiking at Patuxent Nature Reserve, trails in Fredrick, Centennial Park and runs in Baltimore, Gaithersburg, College Park, Odenton, Laurel and the treadmill! We hit it early, unglamorous, and consistent. In August we challenged ourselves to keep it moving being mindful of the heat while still supporting our health.
The Book Club closed out Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower, and the conversation went exactly where you'd expect a book about building community through a changing world to go in a room like ours. The question, "What do you bring to the table if the survival of your community is on the line?" The August read was selected. We decided on Reginald F. Lewis autobiography, "Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun?" We are looking forward to coupling this book review with a trip to the Reginald F. Lewis museum in Baltimore, Md.
357 West is finding its stride. Janeen's Daymaker Beauty Boutique keeps growing next door, and Main Street is better for it. The community came out to celebrate Jazzy's Grand Opening. It was a wonderful time complete with food, drinks, swag bags and of course... GOOD VIBES. We are one block with one standard. Go see her, ask about the HYDROFACIAL.
There's something behind the bookcase. That's all we're saying this month. What September Holds • The Listening Session Vol. 02 —9/7· 7:30 PM · "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" • Blue Light — Monday, September 21 · doors 8 PM · blue bulb at 9 · 21+ • BYOV — every day. Bring a record, we'll play it. • Run Club & Book Club • Two chairs open — send us a serious barber •
...and a few things we're not ready to put in print yet.
Come for the service. Stay for the culture. #IfYouKnowYouKnow
