Today we’d like to introduce you to Thomas Martin.
Thomas, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My wife Heather and I started Jude’s Barbershop in 2005. Heather worked for a company named Success Club, which went out of business (extreme irony) sometime in 1997. This provided the opportunity for her to pursue her dream of becoming a hairstylist so she enrolled in Chic beauty school. After graduating and receiving her license, she was hired by Panopoulos Salons in Grand Rapids (very high-end salon).
From 1997 to 2000, I worked for Meijer in their Properties department as an Architectural Engineer. In 1999, Heather and I purchased a Fantastic Sams franchise. At first, Heather didn’t want to leave Panopoulos to work at a Fantastic Sams. But after a few months, she was so badly needed that she reluctantly left Panopoulos to manage their newly franchised salon. About a year later, we severed ties with Fantastic Sams and started Studio 1 Hair & Tanning Salon.
In 2004 Heather became pregnant, and we wanted to find another business to supplement our income so Heather could spend time with their new baby. During a meeting with a shampoo salesman, I learned of several barbershops owned by the salesman’s cousin in the Portland OR area. After several phone calls and a lot of research, they started Jude’s Barbershop in its first location in downtown Grand Rapids which opened in August of 2005. They offered free haircuts during the first week they opened for business.
My father and I share the same middle name; Jude. Both of our backgrounds are in the construction business. With my construction background, I did the build-out for most of the Jude’s Barbershops.
Jude’s Barbershop is truly a family business with Heather and I working behind the scenes. Granny Dee (my mom) counts the deposits. My daughter Elle works on compliance issues. Jeremiah (Elle’s husband) is the maintenance guy. Accounts payable is handled by my daughter Paige. My daughter Megan was instrumental at the begin of Jude’s and provides support from time to time.
My dad provided an excellent story for the name; JUDE. He was also the one who told Heather and I not to get into the hair business because, at the time, they didn’t know anything about it.
The story of how my father got his middle name; When my grandmother was about to give birth to my father, the nuns on Beaver Island called to Charlevoix to summon the doctor. They were told that the doctor was in jail for performing an abortion. The year was 1938 and abortion was illegal. My Grandmother was a small lady and the nuns did not think she would live through the delivery because my father was so big. This made it all that more important that the doctor be present during the delivery. They convinced the judge to temporarily release the doctor to deliver my father. The doctor was flown from Charlevoix to Beaver Island on the night of March 20th. Saint James harbor was still frozen over so they had everyone on the island bring their Christmas trees out on the ice to light on fire when they heard the airplane’s engines overhead. The modest “runway lights” helped to guide the pilot to a safe landing and the doctor delivered my father the next day. Because of all the trouble with my fathers’ birth, the nuns told my grandmother to name him “Jude” after Saint Jude, the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always challenges when operating a business. We’re pretty good at handling challenges and adapting and changing things when needed. As with most businesses today finding good employees has been a challenge. To meet this new challenge, we completely changed our focus from customer-centered to team-member-centered. This change has us now focusing on growing each of our team members. Our team members are now happier and the overall result is the customer gets better service.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We own and operate 25 barbershops in Michigan. We were the first barbershop in Michigan to bring back old fashion barbershop services; straight razor services, vibrating shoulder massage, hot towel treatment.
We’re known for the Jude’s Haircut (precision haircut, relaxing scalp massage and shampoo, hot towel treatment, vibrating shoulder massage, straight razor neck clean-up) and the Damn Good Hair cut (precision haircut, straight razor neck clean-up).
I’m most proud of watching the growth in so many individuals. Sometimes we have team members who don’t believe in themselves and are uncomfortable with growing as a person and when we start focusing on them, they start to blossom and grow. This individual growth is what inspires me.
Jude’s Barbershop may be in the hair business but we’re equally in the people business too.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I’ve thought about what is most important to be successful in business. My wife and I took some college classes at our local community college when we were younger but neither of us has a degree. We both have always searched for knowledge but not in the traditional ways. We both love to learn and grow. I think the most important ingredients for success in business are; perseverance, work ethic, and grit. My favorite quote is by Winston Churchill; “never, never, never, never give up”.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.judesbarbershop.com/
- Instagram: #judesbarbershop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudesBarbershop
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAflxtKeR5ahnnBm5xXvLpw
