CEDAR CITY — Glen Reber said he found the true definition of community while attending Southern Utah University. While earning two degrees, he worked at G.O. Green Enterprises owned by current Cedar City Mayor Garth Green.

Reber attended Utah Shakespeare Festival green shows, volunteered at high school events and cheered on parade-goers at nearly every festival in town, something he missed after graduation.

Now that he’s back in town with a new business, Reber — owner of The Fellas Barber Shop of Cedar City — has permanent plans to attend the many celebrations.

“The only reason I get to live in Cedar City is by working for what started out as a small business in Cedar City,” Reber said of his previous employment with Green. “We are super excited to be back in this community.”

The Fellas Barber Shop is a Utah-based human grooming business that provides services to all but caters to men. Mersadies Reber, Glen’s sister-in-law, opened the first location in Spanish Fork six years ago.

“So we are opening our sixth location on our sixth anniversary,” she told Cedar City News. “We have locations in Spanish Fork, Springville, Payson, Orem, Logan and now Cedar City.”

The trouble with women barbers in 2018 was the fact that nobody would hire them, Mersadies Reber said. She avoided that problem by opening a shop with a few friends to provide a space for grooming services, conversation, unsolicited advice and a dash of town gossip.

“I also feel like barbers are such a community-driven place,” she said. “You can come to any local barbershop and find a city council member, bishop or your mayor, or whoever. And honestly, so many business deals have been made in our shops.”

Like her brother-in-law, giving back to the community has always been a goal since she sat her first client. Last year, The Fellas Barber Shop donated $1,200 toward gym passes for Utah military veterans through a nonprofit called Task Force 20 to provide physical and mental health benefits.

When it comes to grooming, customers get more than a shave and a haircut, Mersadies noted, referring to the goopy sticks a nearby stylist tossed into the trash.

“We do it a little more luxurious,” she said. “We have face shaves, beard trims and waxing. We actually wax the ears, eyebrows and nose. The hair follicles take longer to grow back when removing the hair with wax.”

Glen Reber said when the opportunity came to partner in the family business built on giving back to the community, he instantly thought of Cedar City.

“It wasn’t just another place to go get a haircut,” he said. “It is a way you can be involved in the community around you and they were replicating that in Spanish Fork.”

Although his bachelor’s degree is in arts and theater, his master’s degree is in business administration; yet, he said his heart will always be with the local arts community.

“I loved to spend time volunteering over at the middle school … band and drama, the Shakespeare festival, the Simon festival, that’s where I spent a lot of my time and those are some of the memories I am fond of,” he said.

Stylist Azelin Cruz said she became certified locally from Evans Hairstyling College and has been cutting hair and providing barber services for several years. While her friends wonder if the nose and ear waxes she provides are the worst part of her day, she said she actually gets the most satisfaction when customers tell her they “look and feel amazing.”

“That is all part of the job and honestly, it’s not that gross,” she said. 

Cedar City News received first-timer services from Cruz and can confirm the pain experienced from a nose waxing was much less than plucking single follicles with tweezers. The hot towel, head scrub and relaxing atmosphere were reminiscent of barber shops in old movies.

“I’ve had plenty of people fall asleep while in my chair,” Cruz told Cedar City News. “That is the next best feeling.”

The Fellas Barbershop of Cedar City is located at 491 South Main Street, Suite 15, in the Cedar Pointe shopping center. Store hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Sunday.

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