EP 366: Luxury Barbering With Heart

What makes Shama Bell with The Southern Gent a good neighbor?

Looking for more than a quick buzz and a rushed checkout? We sit with master barber and owner Shama Bell to unpack how The Southern Gent elevates men’s grooming with time, intention, and skill. From a childhood apprenticeship to decades behind the chair, Shama charts the path that shaped her philosophy: slow the service down, sharpen the craft, and send every client out the door feeling like a king.

You’ll hear how a thoughtful consultation becomes the backbone of great results. Shama breaks down how face shape, growth patterns, and daily routines inform the right cut and beard design—whether it’s a classic scissor cut, a precise fade, or a straight-razor shave with a crisp finish. We explore the small but powerful details that define luxury without pretense: curated music, hot towels, clean tools, and optional touches like a neat pour of whiskey, all anchored in a space where the clock doesn’t dominate the chair.

We also dig into the business side. Shama explains why word of mouth and Google reviews outperform paid ads for service brands, and how consistency, hospitality, and clear communication turn first-time visitors into long-term regulars. Beyond technique, the conversation centers on male self-care and the gap The Southern Gent fills—a place where men can step back from the rush, get honest guidance, and leave with confidence that lasts all week.

If you value craft over speed and want a roadmap for building loyalty through service, this story delivers. Tap play, subscribe for more local business spotlights, and share this episode with a friend who needs a proper cut and a calmer pace. Leave a review to help more neighbors discover conversations like this.

To learn more about The Southern Gent, go to:
 🔗 https://tsoutherngent.com/

The Southern Gent

303-563-9376

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place

(00:02):
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_00 (00:09):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a luxurybarber shop?
Well, one may be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Shama Bell, with the SouthernJet.
Shama, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01 (00:24):
I'm doing wonderful.
How about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 (00:26):
I am also doing wonderful.
Now we're excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Can you tell us a little bitabout your company and how you
got into this business?

SPEAKER_01 (00:37):
Well, I got into this business a long, long time
ago.
I was about 10 years old andstarted apprenticing.
I jumped forward many, manyyears.
It's been about 30 now, and uhdual license between both.
I absolutely love doing hair anduh especially men's.
It's uh a passion of mine to beable to make sure that they walk

(01:00):
out with confidence.

SPEAKER_00 (01:03):
That is so important.
And just to tell us a little bitmore about your business, what
can men expect when they go intoyour luxury barber shop?

SPEAKER_01 (01:15):
To feel like a king in my chair.
They're gonna have a skilledbarber working on them to be
able to sit and relax and justenjoy the music and have a great
haircut and a shave and anexcellent beard trimming and
whatever services that they areactually in the chair for.

SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
Amazing, amazing.
So then there's a variety ofservices they can get done.

SPEAKER_01 (01:44):
Absolutely.
Uh, the website has probably,oh, I'm gonna say a good 50
different services that they canchoose from.

SPEAKER_00 (01:52):
Okay, and what's a specific Southern Gent touch or
detail that you feel truly setsapart your barbershop from
others?
And why is having that touch soimportant to you?

SPEAKER_01 (02:08):
It is for me, the defining uh the southern gent,
it's uh it's a greatconsultation, it sets it apart
because of the experience thatthey have here, and I'm gonna
throw my notes away.
Um the reason why I created thesouthern gent is because people

(02:30):
are in such a hurry nowadaysthat they are not able to sit
down and relax, they're pushedin and pushed out, and they they
don't get the quality servicethat they actually they deserve.
And the reason why I createdthis is to have slow them down,
relax in a nice environment, andto be able to have the skill and

(02:56):
the time and friendship.
That's another reason is tobring back the personability
between the barber and theirclient.
Um, I am not in a rush to getthem in and out of my chair,
they are here to get theexperience that they are uh
they're expecting every time.

(03:16):
And every time they're in mychair, I try to best the last
time they were in their chair.
It's just how it's supposed tobe.

SPEAKER_00 (03:24):
Amazing.
Now we know marketing is theheart of every business.
Who are your target customers ordemographic?
And in terms of marketing, howdo you attract them?

SPEAKER_01 (03:38):
Absolutely, word of mouth.
That is the best way to marketin any type of field.
Is a happy client will tell amillion other clients, and then
they're gonna want to know wherethey got it done, and so on and
so forth.
From there, I use Google.

(03:59):
Uh, Google is my number onemarketing.
Um, I get a ton of people uhfrom just seeing the reviews,
it's all about word of mouth, inmy opinion.
You can pay for all kinds ofdifferent marketing schemes, but
the best way, in my opinion, isthrough word of mouth.

SPEAKER_00 (04:20):
Amazing.
Now, Shama, have you everthought about having your own
podcast for the Southern Gent?

SPEAKER_01 (04:27):
I have thought about it, I just don't have the time.
That's the honest truth.
I've tried to keep up with theblog, and that's even hard to
do.

SPEAKER_00 (04:37):
Shama, I have to ask you now, when it comes to being
so important to you to treatevery single man in the chair as
a king, you know, where does thethe desire for the male
empowerment for you come from?

SPEAKER_01 (04:54):
You know, I I raised three sons, and um it's just I I
think they deserve it.
They don't have a place likewomen to be able to go to the
spa on a normal.
I mean, you anybody can go to aspa, but what I mean like they
go in, they get their hair done,they get their nails done, they

(05:14):
get their pedicures done, andthey don't really have a
barbershop out there that reallythere are some out there, but
they don't they're not able tojust go in and be treated like
kings, and that's why I createdthe Southern Gen.
Is so that way they can come in,they can have nice little glass

(05:34):
of whiskey if that's what theylike, or any type of other
beverage.
They sit back, they get theirtheir services, and just they're
treated like a king.

SPEAKER_00 (05:46):
Awesome.
Well, I do really, really lovethat.
Now, where can our listeners goto learn more about the southern
gent?

SPEAKER_01 (05:55):
Uh, so the website is tsoutherngent.com.
You can find me on Facebook,Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.
I'm on them all, and you canfind that all through my
website.

SPEAKER_00 (06:05):
Well, Shama, I really appreciate you being on
the show today.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 (06:13):
I appreciate it, Sophia.

SPEAKER_02 (06:15):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to GNP Frisco.com.
That's GNP Frisco dot com orcall four six six six six six
six nine two two two two two twotwo two two two two two two one
nine three four four four fourfour five.