MERIDIAN, IDAHO — As human beings, we all sometimes just need someone to talk to, and while support groups and technology have made it easier for so many to find an ear to gab into, some of us still want to do it the old-fashioned way by taking a seat in a barbershop.
Barclay & Hill in Meridian provides friendly chatter and has a great Made in Idaho backstory. As a former member of the Army and the Marines, Trevor Hill has seen way more than the average guy. But one thing he needed to see was a vision he had for over a decade come to life.
"Everything that I wanted to build into a barbershop I finally got the opportunity to build in my mind's eye into that barbershop," said Barclay & Hill owner and master barber Trevor Hill.
But the story goes way back to 2010 where after nearly a decade of military and government service, Trevor went to learn at a barber college.
"I started cutting hair at Fred's Reel Barber Shop here in Meridian, and that's where I cut my teeth and learned under the master barbers over there and, you know, learned how to conversate and how to not mess up hair," laughed Hill.
He then opened up his own shop which unfortunately didn't quite cut it, so he re-grouped and enrolled at Boise State University.
"I got a degree focused in innovation and business and communications and leadership and graduated and decided when the time was right and we found the right location, and that's what brings me to here," said Hill.
And after an 11-month remodeling process, Hill turned part of a 100-year old saddle shop into this vintage manly salon, which officially opened in May 2020. Though you may not expect a career as a barber to come out of his military background, Trevor has a beautiful reason for getting into it.
"You get to have a gazillion different types of conversations, people from all sorts of different backgrounds. You're essentially a professional best friend," laughed Hill.
So aside from brick walls, wood floors, unique memorabilia, or just that old-school barbershop feel, what is it that separates Barclay & Hill from other shops in the valley?
"Each barbershop just kind of have its own vibe, and I like to kind of think that your vibe attracts your tribe, you know like I didn't build this shop for everybody in the Valley like we're not a catch-all type of thing, but the people that connect with us and the style of the shop, the music we play in here, and just the conversation, that's what attracts people in here," said Hill.
So where did the name Barclay & Hill come from? The Hill part comes from Trevor's last name, but Barclay is actually the last name of his Father-in-Law, someone Trevor says not only helped him plan and put together his dream barbershop but is also one of his role models.
