Meet Travis Young, Stephen Hughes | Barbers/Owners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Travis Young, Stephen Hughes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Travis Young, Stephen Hughes, what do you attribute your success to?
People often describe the profession of barbering as an honest business, and we try to keep it that way. There are different ways to run a barbershop, but with ours, we try to focus on keeping things fair for both our barbers and the customer. We aren’t cheap, but we also strive to keep our prices on the lower end of the pricing spectrum considering our location and the quality of service. Additionally, we don’t gouge our barbers on what we charge them. And although it just feels right to do that, selfishly, it’s better for us to try and create a working environment where our barbers are happy, and don’t want to leave. If they do, it’s more work for us to fill that void. This job isn’t supposed to be hard or stressful, although it can be. We’d rather have a consistent, enduring business than one that tries to grab a bunch of cash and get out quick.

What should our readers know about your business?
It’s hard for me to answer this question. I’m not sure we do anything special; we just try and do it honestly. We’re probably most proud of the fact that we’ve been able to stay busy and in business for 10 years, more or less. We have a low turn-over on our barbers, which makes me think we’re doing something right. I don’t think owning and growing a business is ever easy, but it if you surround yourself with the right people, it’s easier. Between our partnership, our awesome barbers that we’ve been able attract, and our peers around town and actually across the country, it makes me happy that I’ve chosen the industry that I have.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A week for the visitor would be a lot different than for the local. Red Rocks is obviously something you need to experience at least once. I’d spend a whole day probably in the foothills, either Golden or Boulder and get into some mellow hikes, them finish with a show at Red Rocks. With Denver’s growth over the last decade, our food scene has gotten to be pretty great, and Lohi especially has an abundance of terrific restaurants. I’d spend one day just walking from Sunnyside down to 32nd avenue and then into Lohi. Ramen Star, Senor Bear, Ash Kara, Steam, La Grande Mexicana Taqueria, Patzcuaro’s, Little Man Ice Cream, Little Owl Coffee. There are honestly too many to name, so I’ll stop there. I’m a big fan of our art museums. The Denver Art Museum has something for everyone all the time, and the MCA is a lot more intimate. You would definitely want to spend a day (in the spring or summer) walking in RiNo and enjoying all that neighborhood has to offer. Food and Drinks galore and then finish it off at Coor’s Field. As painful as it is to be a Rockies fan, they’ve got the stadium experience right. Aurora has a number of restaurants that should be visited, so wear some sweats. Nana’s Dumplings, Seoul Korean BBQ, Silla (Korean) BBQ… Drive down Havana St. and you’ll find something. So yeah, it’d be a lot of eating. If you’re a coffee person, you’d be in luck, because we don’t have a shortage there either. Huckleberry Roasters has a handful of cafes across town, and we love them. But pop into a Little Owl, or Sweet Bloom and you won’t be disappointed.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
A lot of people deserve credit. This business has a busy history, and there are a number of people who were involved along the way. Stephen, myself, and Brandon Piper technically started this venture in 2020, but prior to that we were all working at Brandon’s shop “Piper’s Parlor” at a slightly smaller location in the same neighborhood. Prospect Trail was supposed to be an extension of that, and Brandon offered the two of us the opportunity to get involved with ownership. Unfortunately, due to Covid, we were kind of forced to close Piper’s and focus solely on the new location here on Tejon St. Prior to that, Brandon and I were working at Ollie’s Barbershop. I’d love to give a shoutout to Brian Poskin and Cameron Page. Brian brought Brandon and I on when we were first starting out and gave us our first shot at cutting hair in Denver, and he definitely treated his barbers right. No doubt his business principles rubbed off on us. Cameron is the current owner down at Ollie’s in Wash Park and we worked together with him before they opened that location down there, and he’s always been a great resource when we need to bounce any ideas around. I’d like to recognize our neighborhoods as well. Most of our business comes from our neighbors, and we wouldn’t stick around if they didn’t continue to come in. We struggled a bit during that first part of the pandemic, and they definitely showed up and showed us the love.

Website: https://prospecttrail.com

Instagram: @prospecttrail

Image Credits
Joshua Beckner