When Mandy Glasscock received her barber's license 15 years ago, she did what most beginning stylists do. She worked at shops owned by others and cut the hair of whoever came through the door.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports the places often were hectic, loud and busy.
She hated it.
"I realized right out of the gate that I only enjoyed cutting men's hair," she said. "I had a vision. I wanted my own place, a place that would offer a nice experience for the guys."
She took about a decade off to raise her children. When she decided to go back to work, she knew it had to be on her own terms.
Her idea was a mobile barbershop in which she could control everything from scheduling to atmosphere.
Glasscock and her husband, Jason, bought a travel trailer and gutted the interior. They added a retro-looking barber's chair, a sink and cabinets for her supplies. She named her Tyler hair-cutting business Dapper.
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"This was a longtime dream of mine but we didn't have a business model to follow," she said. "I said, `Lord don't let me sink doing this."'
Fears that she would have trouble getting clients quickly were put to rest.
"Within minutes of posting online that I was opening, I had someone make a reservation," she said.
After being open for several months, Dapper is constantly booked. Clients go to the website, dappertx.com, to book an appointment. Glasscock doesn't accept walk-ins.
She takes Dapper to different sites during the week. On the first Friday of each month, she is parked behind Plaza Tower on the downtown Tyler square.
On a recent Friday morning, she was cutting the hair of Alan Pennington, one of her regulars who works in Plaza Tower.
"All I have to do is walk downstairs to get my haircut and walk back upstairs," Pennington said of the convenience of having a barber outside the building.
He said he gets a great haircut in a calm and relaxing atmosphere. "It's like being at a spa for men."
That's exactly what Glasscock wants to hear.
"It's a time that they don't have to worry about anything else," she said. "They can sit in the chair and it will be so peaceful and quiet."
She makes sure that she has plenty of time with each client.
On this day, Pennington is getting the Denzel, a $37 package that includes a massaging shampoo and condition, a haircut and a relaxing eucalyptus face wrap.
She can also do a basic cut without the extras and trim a beard.
Business is so good that Glasscock recently hired a stylist to work in Dapper when she takes time off.
Her goal is to eventually have other mobile barbershops. She said one day, if all goes as planned, there could be a fleet of Dappers.
