Meet Andy Sweet | Community Barber

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andy Sweet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
If it weren’t for living in Fort Collins I wouldn’t be a barber. You see back then I had a roommate and friend named Unsoled that owned a shoe store that I knew from skating/Bmx that got me into tattoos. At that time it was in 2009 I’d say and a cool new barbershop called Scissors & Sinners was getting started in Old Town. How that relates to tattoos is that the barber that started Scissors & Sinners is named Melissa and she is Curtis Burgess’ sister. Curtis is an astounding tattooer at Tribal Rites. I think he owns it now. Anyway Unsoled became a barber too after he sold the shoe store and managed Scissors & Sinners when he was going to barber school. I went to barber school shortly after that in Salt Lake City under Thamer Hite. Incidentally he had no tattoos, but I’ve got a few now.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What sets me apart from others is my life experiences, my knowledge, multiple skill sets, my education, and my involvement in the community. They all lend to how unique I really am. At one time I was a machinist, but there’s nothing fabricated about me. I’ve also been a bike mechanic, a cabinet maker, a semi-pro bmxer, a champion dirt bike racer, a cook, a trail builder, a fabricator, a motorcycle builder, a traveler, and a natural born hustler. I fly where the wind takes me, and learn from everyone I’ve met. I’m a student of esoteric psychology. I’ve found the good in anyone, and make the most of it. I’m very involved in my community. I go to city and county meetings, school district, mental health, suicide awareness, and my service club meetings. I am running another business right now. The National Alliance of Mental Illness western slope along with a board of directors. I love history. All of these things lend to conversations to being had in the barbershop, and activities to be had outside of the barbershop. What sets me apart from other great barbers is everything and nothing. You get good cuts at the end of the day, but you get a relationship of our personalities that work together in concert. It’s about the journey not the destination. I take action. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t hard, but my 10 years as a barber has been a journey. I’ve lived in a basement garage starving in Portland, OR. I’ve been robbed and stolen from in Salt Lake City, Costa Mesa, CA, and Paris, France. I’ve learned hard lessons, in patience, posturing, and attitude with people. Where I have not lacked in boldness and confidence, I have had to learn openness and trust. Another lesson learned is to show up. Just show up. Today I am an open and trusting man.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For me what I’m most psyched on about showing my favorite people my favorite places around the city is motorcycle rides over the Grand Mesa in the summer, Lil Park Road and Glade Park on The National Monument, East Orchard Mesa through the orchards in the autumn, then coming back down into Palisade, Fruita, and Grand Junction. My best friends live here too, so we would come down to a brewery after a ride, and I can watch them drink beer, like I do. Grabbing sandwiches at the lunch trucks or a few local spots. Then we head up to the shop to fabricate, and wrench. Downtown I really do love Main Street, and the Amphitheater. I really love riding bikes down the river trails, or riding a motorcycle up to a trailhead for a short hike. Some of the most interesting people are artist, motorcycle enthusiasts, barbers actually come to think of it. We know a few of all of those kinds of people. We are tattooers, barbers, an electrician, a cobbler, a brewer, a machinist. You’re going to get a big cross section from those kinds of interesting people.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out to my parents for letting me and my sister do whatever we wanted. I’ll shout out to Brandon Piper and Travis Young for being fun classmates and co-workers. Some books I’ve read that have opened my eyes and/or contributed to my success are: Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Persig, Ishmael by Quinn, The Master Key System, and The Kybalion. I will dedicate this shoutout to The Rotary Club, and to Klemmer & Associates.

Website: dosriosbarber.com

Instagram: @andysweet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonsorialfox

Image Credits
Andy Sweet
Devon Balet Cassie Fortman