Welcome To Mr. B’s For over 75 wonderful years, our family owned and operated business has helped generations of beauty industry professionals bring their visions to life through a wide range of services including furniture and equipment sales, consulting, professional salon design, and we offer financing options too. Mr. B’s is America’s most trusted beauty supplier, providing entrepreneurs with the tools they need to bring their business to the next level. Founded by Mr. Burt Lipman aka “Mr. B” and his wife Mrs. Naomi Lipman in the 1960’s, Mr. Beauty began as a door-to-door beauty supply business and quickly evolved after a pivotal moment when Mr. Beauty showcased at the world’s first International Beauty Show. Today, Mr. Beauty continues to provide a wide range of services including furniture and equipment sales, professional salon design, and we offer financing too. Our freestanding two-story building is located along Sunrise Highway in Freeport on Long Island, New York.
Call us to make an appointment at our showroom to see the largest selection of Barber Chairs or to discuss financing your shop and help designing it! Buy in America from a family you can trust! Featured ProductsMust have products from our top sellers Introducing Ferrante Barber ChairsFerrante, Tradition Designed with Digital Technology, Produced with Noble Materials. Producing international quality furniture made in Brazil, since 1928.Shop unique and handmade items directly from creative people around the world Popular items for barber shop Create and organize lightboxes on the go with your Apple or Android device.Surprisingly affordable all year round, discoverthe sofa ranges that can’t be seen in store Take a sneak peek at the interior trends ourCreative Manager has predicted for spring Transform a room in the flick of a switch with our statement selection of lightingA Brief Lesson On Barber Chairs To understand why collectors value antique barber chairs, let’s journey into the origin of barber chairs.
Believe it or not, they existed way, way back to the time before Christ in 296 Rome. Barber shops were places of chit chat long before the advent of the telegram, radio or the Internet.Barber shops also took the place of clinics. Back when the medical profession wasn’t as advanced as it is today, the folks who performed surgery or plucked teeth were called barbers. These professionals would set up shop by putting a barber pole outside the establishment. They’re not exactly the ones we see today with red, white and blue stripes. Back then, they were real poles with bandages, blood and wooden sticks. In fact, red represents blood while white stands for the bandage. Blue was later added to signify the veins. The pole was used to boost bloodstream circulation. At the center of it all was the barber chair. It provided the compartments and holding pockets for the barber while giving the level of comfort that the patient deserves.Fast forward to the 1800’s, and the barber supply industry was booming in the United States.
Barbers were exclusively cutting hair by then. Among the earliest manufacturers were Archer Company, Eugene Berninghaus and Theo A. Kochs. The ones that followed were revolutionary, such as Koken Barber’s Supply and Emil J. Paidar.Koken Barber’s Supply Company was founded by Ernest Koken in the late 1800’s. He came from Germany, but his family moved to the United States to seek greener pasture. While working in a factory, he made prototypes for a barber chair in his spare time. The result was a revolutionary hydraulic-powered chair which he patented in the 1890’s. It was the first of its kind at the time. Ernest died less than two decades later, but his son inherited the business immediately following his death. Aside from barber chairs, the company also produced other supplies like razors, brushes, mirrors and cabinets.Emil J. Paidar was leading the industry during the time when Koken was in close competition with the company. Both companies manufactured top quality barber chairs.
The difference was in the technology used. Regardless, they had their own loyal following. Paidar also produced a wide range of barber equipment and supplies.Both companies have gone bankrupt, and Koken was ultimately bought by Takara Belmont. However, their legacy lives on through the design and technology that we see in modern barber chairs. Barber Chairs for Sale If you’re looking for barber chairs for sale, you can find a number of them in auction houses, pawn shops and restoration shops across the United States. There are also several being sold online. Regardless of the mode of shopping you prefer, you’ll find that most of the antique barber chairs being offered for sale are from the following manufacturers:Koken Barber’s Supply CompanyEmil J. Paidar CompanyTakara Belmont USATheo A. Kochs CompanyMost of the manufacturers above came from the early 1900’s. If there was such an event as the “Golden Age of Barber Chairs,” then that era would be it. It was a time when innovation, new technology, superior craftsmanship and competition for market share in barber supplies were at their best.
The barber chairs for sale that you can find at that time were of the highest quality. Back then, there were hardly any machines that would produce parts in massive amounts. As a result, each of the chairs that went out of the factory had been worked on by hand.Koken barber chairs are arguably the best among the bunch. The early 1900’s model had a hydraulic lift, which is the first of its kind at the time. The man behind this technology was Ernest Koken, a German citizen who’s family immigrated to the United States in the mid 1800’s. By the end of the century, he already patented his technology and went on to form Koken Barber’s Supply in St. Louis, Missouri. It was a highly coveted brand. Unfortunately, the company stopped producing barber supplies and then went under in the 1950’s. It was consequently bought out by Takara Belmont. Because of this, the antique Koken barber chairs being sold today cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.The Emil J. Paidar Company had a long rivalry with Koken.
Even though Paidar barber chairs lacked technological prowess, they excelled in design and efficiency nonetheless. For this reason the company’s products were often copied. Competition with Koken was tough until World War II came. Now that the war broke out, the company struggled even more. It survived by temporarily shifting the business to producing cartridge cases and other war supplies. Emil J. Paidar was able to recover after the war but eventually went down when Takara took over the industry in the late 60’s. Paidar barber chairs for sale today also cost almost the same as the Kokens.Belmont barber chairs originated in pre-World War II Japan. Takara Belmont still exists today and is the leading producer of dental and barber equipment in the world. In 2011, it released it’s Koken legacy barber chairs inspired by the designs from the 1900’s but equipped with modern day technology. The Belmont chairs of the 50’s weren’t as groundbreaking as the Kokens or the Paidars. Belmont barber chairs for sale don’t cost as much either, but they serve as a reminder of the changing times and how the Takara Belmont brand was able to dominate the market.
Kochs barber chairs are among the first in America. Founded in 1871, the Chicago-based Theo A. Kochs Company made barber chairs based on the technologies of Berninghaus and Archer Company. Kochs barber chairs sold very well at that time. Although not as innovative as Koken or as functional as Paidar, Kochs barber chairs for sale today are quite a few. History of Belmont Barber Chairs Belmont barber chairs first appeared in the 1930’s in Japan. At that time, the manufacturer was called Takara Chuzo Ltd. which was founded by Hidenobu Yoshikawa. The 1950’s marked Takara’s entry into the world market by establishing a subsidiary in the United States. It brought about the creation of Takara Company NY Inc., then it eventually became Takara Belmont USA, Inc. In the same decade, the company released it’s first hydraulic barber chair. In the 60’s, Takara rapidly expanded into Europe by teaming up with Wella. By then, it sold dental and cosmetic products as well.When Takara entered the barber supply market in the United States, there were already several established manufacturers that dominated the industry, such as Koken and Emil J. Paidar.
The company basically started with no share of the market. However, Takara had the upper hand because of its capability in mass production and access to less expensive suppliers.Both industry leaders were caught by surprise when Takara released its Belmont barber chairs in the US market. They were cheaper and almost had the same quality as the more costly Koken or Paidar barber chair. Ultimately, it made more sense for barber shops to make the switch. Along with the changing times was a new kind of lifestyle that made the British rock band famous. This new trend made way for the emergence of men with longer hair. Barbers weren’t used to it, so salons and hair stylists came in to fill the demand. By the end of the decade, only Takara Belmont was left standing. What were once market leaders are now on the rocks. Koken Barber’s Supply Company was eventually sold to Takara.The Takara Belmont Company has been leading the barber chair market since the 1960’s. At present, it manufactures three models for its barber chair lineup: Elegance, Crea II and Regalo II.