What it's like to be Van Capizzano, Boston's Tribe Barber
When I first arrived in Boston almost 4 years ago, the coolest place in the city was Ball and Buck.
Boston's scene has changed a lot since I arrived in 2013, and for what it's worth, I do think it's a lot better on the whole. It's certainly working towards becoming a world class city, even if it's not there yet, as it claims.
One realm it has a long way left to go in is style though, which is why Ball and Buck was so exciting. Not only were they one of the OG Americana resurgence brands, the whole store was -- and is to this day -- a dope little wood-panelled log cabin tucked away in a subterranean space on one of Boston's coolest streets, Newbury.
I happened to have a photo of Ball and Buck on hand for a Boston magazine menswear article that never got published. So here: visuals!
There's taxidermied animals, an awesome vintage motorbike, and more selvedge denim and leather goods than the average person can handle. But maybe neatest of all they had a barbershop tucked away in the back.
It's no real secret that Ball and Buck's entire model was based off a menswear store pioneer from (of course) New York City, called Freeman's Sporting Club. Van Capizzano was the barber that joined Freeman's to turn it into the cultural mecca it was. He came to Boston, and to Ball and Buck, and worked his magic there for a few years too.
Funnily enough, Van was cutting hair the day a photographer and I showed up from Boston.com to take photos for a piece I was writing and producing on Boston's Best Barbershops.
Van's been in movies, magazines, news articles, and blogs (including my favourite, Harry's Five O'Clock). All this attention just for cutting hair. It surprises him too, but it's certainly a testament to his talent, passion for his craft, and eye for timeless style.
Fast forward a few years and a few tattoos later, and Van has finally opened his own shop, in my favourite neighbourhood, the South End, no less. I wanted to know more about him, his story, and his new shop, so I sat down with him for a chat a few weeks ago. So here it is. The second of these profile videos I'm working on. I'm so happy to share my interview with Van Capizzano, Tribe Barber.
