There is no shortage of places to get a haircut along Main Street. Some are great. Some are fine. Some will leave you checking the back of your head in every reflective window for a week.
You cannot tell which is which from a sign. You can tell in one visit — if you know what to watch for. So here is the scorecard we would use if we were new to Williamsville and shopping around. Ten points, each one something you can check yourself. After that, we will score our own shop at 6100 Main St. honestly against it.
The scorecard
1. Are the barbers licensed?
In New York, barbers are licensed by the Department of State. A licensed barber has trained, passed an exam and is accountable to the state. It is the minimum, not a bonus. Ask if you are not sure.
2. Do they ask before they cut?
A barber who reaches for the clippers before asking what you want is guessing. A good one asks what you want, what went wrong last time and how long you usually go between cuts.
3. Is the price clear before you sit down?
If you find out what you are paying at the register, you were not really choosing. Look for posted prices or a booking system that shows the rate first.
4. Are the edges finished with a razor?
A razor-finished outline — around the ears and across the neck — is what makes a haircut look fresh for weeks rather than days. Clipper-only lines blur fast.
5. Do they hand you the mirror?
Every good barber shows you the back before you get up. If you have to ask, that tells you something.
6. Can you rebook the same barber?
Consistency beats raw talent. The best haircut you will ever get is probably your fourth with the same person, not your first with someone new.
7. Do the hours fit your life?
A shop that only works for people with free afternoons is not a shop for most of Williamsville. Check weekday and Saturday hours before you fall in love with a place.
8. Can you book online?
Phone tag is a tax on your time. Online booking that shows every barber’s open slots is the simplest way to stop waiting around.
9. Do they take walk-ins?
Sometimes you need a cut today. A shop that welcomes walk-ins — and is honest about when to call ahead — is a shop that respects that.
10. Is the place clean?
Look at the stations and the tools. Clean combs, clean clippers, a fresh neck strip for every client. This is the easiest point on the list to check and the one that tells you most about everything else.
How our Williamsville shop scores
We wrote the list, so it would be easy to give ourselves ten out of ten. Instead, here are the facts against each point. Judge for yourself.
- Licensing: four barbers. Jon Palmeri — the “Jonny” in the name — is the owner and a master barber. Dave Scolla is a master barber. Michael Falzone and Bryan Castronova are licensed New York State barbers. See them all on the Williamsville page.
- Ask first: every cut starts with a conversation. Bring a photo if you have one, but the more useful thing is telling us what you did not like last time.
- Price: a Classic starts at $25. Classic & Beard starts at $35. Each barber sets their own rate, and you see it when you book before you confirm. The full menu is on the services page.
- Razor finish: the Classic is done with clippers, scissors, edger and straight razor. Every time.
- Mirror: yes. Check the back. Tell us if anything is off.
- Same barber: yes. Book the same person online every time.
- Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 9AM to 6PM. Saturday, 8AM to noon. Closed Sunday and Monday. That is earlier on Saturday than a lot of places, and the shop closes at noon, so book early in the week if Saturday is your day.
- Online booking: book online any time, any barber.
- Walk-ins: welcome. Appointments are encouraged, and if you are walking in, call 716-389-0192 first to make sure someone is free.
- Clean: come and look. That is the only honest answer to that one.
What a Classic looks like, minute by minute
If you have never had a full-service barbershop cut, here is what the thirty minutes actually covers:
- The first two minutes: the conversation. What you want, what you did not like last time, how you wear it day to day.
- The next ten: clippers on the sides and back — a taper, a fade or an even length.
- The next ten: scissors on the top, with texture or layering depending on what you asked for.
- The next five: edger and straight razor on the outline and the neck. This is the step that separates a barbershop cut from a quick clip.
- The last couple: the mirror, a check of the back and any small adjustments.
Thirty minutes is not rushed and it is not padded. It is the time a proper cut takes.
Fitting a haircut into a Main Street workday
A lot of our Williamsville clients work nearby, and they treat a haircut like any other appointment in the calendar. A few ways to make it painless:
- Book the 9AM slot on a weekday and be at your desk by 9:45.
- Use a lunch break. A thirty-minute Classic fits inside an hour comfortably, as long as you book rather than walk in.
- Try an Edge Up mid-cycle. Ten to fifteen minutes, from $12, and you look freshly cut for a meeting without a full appointment.
- Set a recurring appointment with the same barber every four weeks. Once it is in the calendar, it stops being something you have to remember.
What only the Williamsville shop does
Both of our shops run the same core menu — Classic, Classic & Beard, Hot Towel Shave, Edge Up and House Calls. The Williamsville shop adds one thing: waxing. Brow, ear and nose waxing can be added to any appointment here, and it is not offered at our Tonawanda shop. Our Williamsville waxing guide explains what it involves and who it is for.
Waxing prices are not posted on the site — check the rate when you book, or ask when you call.
The menu at a glance
- Classic — from $25, about 30 minutes. Clippers, scissors, edger and straight razor.
- Classic & Beard — from $35, about 30 minutes. Plus full beard sculpting and line work.
- Hot Towel Shave — from $25, about 30 minutes. Pre-shave oil, hot lather, hot towels and aftercare. Our hot towel shave guide walks through every step.
- Edge Up — from $12, 10 to 15 minutes. Edging and a neck shave between full cuts.
- House Calls — from $225. Home, office or hotel, anywhere in Western New York.
- Waxing — by appointment, Williamsville only. Brow, ear and nose.
Red flags worth walking out on
The scorecard is about what to look for. These are the things that should make you think twice, at any shop:
- The barber starts before asking you anything.
- Dirty combs sitting in old water, or clippers going from one head to the next without a wipe.
- No mirror at the end, or a quick flash of it before the cape comes off.
- A price you only learn at the register.
- Pressure to buy product you did not ask about.
One red flag is a bad day. Two is a pattern.
Who the Williamsville shop serves
Mostly Williamsville, Amherst and Snyder, plus people who work along Main Street and come in on their lunch break or after work. If you are in the village, the Village of Williamsville site is the best place to keep up with parks, events and village services. If you are elsewhere in the town, the Town of Amherst site covers the rest — and Amherst Town Hall is on Main Street, too.
Kids at the Williamsville shop
Kids’ cuts are the same price as an adult cut and take about thirty minutes. Little ones can sit on a booster seat or a parent’s lap, and every tool is cordless. Our kids’ haircuts in Williamsville post goes into detail. We do not cut girls’ hair at the barbershop; for that, Three Palms Salon is in the same building at 6100 Main St.
Finding us
6100 Main St., Williamsville, NY 14221. The map below gives you directions from wherever you are.
How to use this scorecard anywhere
Take the ten points to any shop — including ours. You will know after one visit. If a place scores eight or more, you have probably found your barber. If it scores five, keep looking. And if you would like to try us against the list, book online or call 716-389-0192.
We were voted Best Barbershop in Buffalo Spree’s Best of WNY 2025, and we are proud of it. But the scorecard is a better test than any award. Hold us to it.
If you are new to the area
Moving to Williamsville or Amherst usually means finding a new everything at once — doctor, dentist, mechanic, barber. Here is the shortcut for the barber part:
- Book a Classic and tell the barber it is your first visit since moving.
- Bring a photo of your best-ever haircut from your old barber, if you have one. It is the fastest way to get back to it.
- Tell them your hair’s quirks — cowlick, crown, thinning spots, scalp sensitivity.
- Rebook the same barber before you leave, three to five weeks out.
By the second or third visit, you will not have to explain anything. That is the whole goal.
