Story by Pamela Kleibrink Thompson | Photo by Jim Peterson
Personally, I just got tired of getting my hair jacked up from other salons and barbers, so I started cutting my own hair, then gradually started cutting friends’ hair,” said Richard Nalder, who opened Redlan’s Gentlemen’s Grooming on December 5th, 2016. He wanted to recreate the feeling he had when he worked for a men’s day spa in downtown Boise. “I missed that atmosphere.”
Nalder grew up in Twin Falls and moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, for a brief time when he was a teen, but returned to Idaho and after his high school graduation, attended cosmetology school, where he learned how to cut and style hair.
“I have been doing hair since I was 19,” Nalder shared. “It was my ultimate goal to own and operate a successful shop. At first I wanted to open a family hair salon, but as I studied the market I decided to open up Eagle’s first men’s grooming salon. Most of my career has been in west Boise, Eagle, and the North Meridian area. It only made sense to me to have a shop where most of my customers lived.
“My vision for Redlan’s is to keep the neighborhood barbershop feel–a hairshop men aren’t embarrassed to tell their friends about,” Nalder explained. “I definitely want to expand to different locations. Boise is a growing city–we will see what the market can hold.”
Redlan’s specializes in “the merging of traditional barbering and holistic well-being, bringing the best in grooming and men’s maintenance.” All of their services and products have been designed exclusively for men. “If you don’t have a style in mind, don’t worry,” reassured Nalder. “Our staff is experienced with all types of haircuts. We can make suggestions that suit your face and tastes. We gladly work with you to give you your ideal hairstyle.”
A full service shop, “not your typical in-and-out-place,” Redlan’s offers men’s and children’s haircuts; including a straight razor finish on the neck, shampoo or rinse and a steaming hot towel. They also do beard trims with a blend of barbering techniques to achieve the desired length, finishing with a composition hot towel ritual. Customers who opt for the deluxe hot shave are in for an ultimate treat– the old fashioned straight-edge shave.
Nalder enjoys “seeing a variety of people daily.” What he likes best about his profession is “working with people, changing how people look and making them feel confident in themselves.” He enjoys “taking old styles and merging them with new techniques to create a modern style from a classic look.”
Nalder advises other entrepreneurs, “Find a mentor. Read tons of self- help books. Cut the cord from others who hold you back. Remember that you are an average of the people you hang out with the most. Show me your mentor, I will show you your future.” Two of the books that have impacted Nalder are Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn by John Maxwell and The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant by Terry Felber.
Nalder likes “the small town- yet- urban feel” of Eagle. “We love it here in hHistorical dDowntown Eagle on First Street. It’s everything you would expect. We are a full service men’s grooming salon with a full service barbering experience like no other. Never go to a barber for just another haircut. Enjoy all the extra details.”
