Basin Street Barbershop owner looks to become part of the community

EPHRATA — Cheryl Scott heard a lot of people saying they wanted an affordable, convenient haircut — and that’s what she set out to provide when she opened Basin Street Barber Shop this past July 15.

“A lot of places in town take appointments,” she said. “And the feedback that I’ve received is a lot of people don’t like appointments, so therefore, I structured my business ‘No appointment needed.’”

Scott, who owns the shop, said she set her costs low to be affordable and since it’s just her and a part-time barber working the shop, it makes it convenient and affordable for customers. She offers them simple barber services such as the expected haircuts, beard trims, straight razor shaves and flat tops.

“I’m a basic, traditional barbershop. Nothing fancy. I don’t do lineups or anything like that, or designs. I wanted to offer the community something affordable with the price of everything else going up,” she said.

Opening a storefront in Ephrata has been a long time coming, Scott said. She met her ex-husband when he was working as a barber — a profession he followed for more than four decades and is now semi-retired from, helping her out part-time as needed. She worked in the field, and found that she enjoyed the simple haircuts, and while she’s trained as a beautician, she wanted to stick with the part of the job she enjoyed. During the last couple of decades, she worked at multiple shops, eventually being a regional manager for a barber shop chain with more than 50 employees.

She started visiting Ephrata years ago, and fell in love with it, she said.

“This is a great community, and I just really enjoy it. I moved from the West Side five years ago, and I just fell in love with Ephrata and the people that live here,” Scott said.

The job is fun as well. One of her favorite parts is having what she calls the privilege of giving a child their first haircut. She said she has a knack for it, with youngsters coming in frightened of the barber but enjoying a sucker and smiling by the time they leave.

“I love working with the kids,” she said. “First haircuts are really special and I feel honored to be a part of that.”

Scott said she intends to be as involved in the community as she can. She passed out candy on Halloween at the Ephrata Chamber of Commerce’s holiday event. The shop gave free haircuts to veterans on Veterans Day, and she’s providing a haircut to help with Georgie’s Gently Used’s monthly giveaways. Generally, it’s the people that the job is about. She gets to visit with clients, take care of their needs and be a part of the community.

“I’ve been cutting hair for 24 years and I just still absolutely love it, but most days, it’s not like, a job. I get to work and do something I enjoy,” she said.