Open Chair Barbershop & Salon has opened at 56 Grand Ave. E. in Chatham, Ont., about three months after founders Naveed Pasha, his son Danny and family friend Saleem Akhtar converted conversations about walk-in access into a brick-and-mortar business.

The shop runs on a walk-in-first model and stays open until 9 p.m., with staff remaining later if clients are still in the chair. Pasha, an established Chatham entrepreneur whose son oversees day-to-day operations, framed the model as a direct answer to lead times at established salons.

"Trying to book an appointment with a good, established stylist can take days or even a few weeks," Pasha said. "We're big on walk-ins."

Appointments remain an option, but the floor plan, scheduling and staffing pattern are built around drop-in service. The shop's late closing time is also aimed at clients with non-traditional work hours.

What does the service menu cover?

The shop serves men, women, children and seniors under one roof, blending barbering and salon services rather than splitting them across separate operations. Barbers on the team specialize in Indian-style grooming and Middle Eastern grooming alongside modern barber techniques, and a dedicated stylist is assigned to female clients.

A private salon room with its own entrance is available for women and girls who prefer a separate space, with the entrance shielding them from the main floor. Traditional Indian head massages sit on the menu, expanding the offering beyond standard cut-and-finish services.

Pasha described the format as "a one-stop shop where you can serve everybody."

The combination of barbering specialties and a dedicated women's stylist reflects the founders' reading of Chatham's changing demographic mix.

How is pricing structured?

Open Chair has built its pricing around affordability for families. Discounts apply to children and seniors, and the full price list is posted at openchairbarbershop.com.

A father-son package pairs a joint haircut with time in an on-site children's play area, reinforcing the family positioning. Pasha positioned the pricing against the current cost-of-living climate.

"We're thinking outside of the box of how we can give the community a little relief from inflationary prices and great service," Pasha said.

The play area and father-son package serve both a marketing and retention function, turning a single visit into a multi-service family outing.

Who is the target clientele?

The partners identified Chatham's growing Asian community as a primary audience, alongside the broader population. The grooming specialties reflect that focus, with Indian and Middle Eastern technique alongside modern barbering.

The shop's design, including the children's play area and the father-son package, points to families as a secondary core audience. Pasha said the original conversations between him and his son centered on serving a wide cross-section of the community rather than a narrow demographic.

By combining family amenities, late hours and walk-in access, the founders are targeting clients who have historically been underserved by appointment-only salons.

What are the expansion plans?

The partners plan to establish the Open Chair brand in Chatham before opening additional shops in other regional cities, including Kitchener and London, Ont.

"I think it could grow as a brand in the future," Pasha said.

The Chatham location is the first site in what the founders intend as a multi-city rollout, with branding, service standards and pricing intended to be replicable across future locations. Performance in Chatham over the coming months will determine the pace and sequencing of the Kitchener and London openings.