Lucky’s Barbershop opens in historic Shepherdstown barbershop location
SHEPHERDSTOWN — After over a decade, 118 East German Street has been returned to its longtime purpose, as a barbershop. On Wednesday, Lucky’s Barbershop opened its doors to the public for the first time.
“It’s the perfect spot,” said owner and barber Morgan Kwolek, mentioning she chose the space before learning it had been the home to at least two barbershops in the past.
Eleven years ago, after working for years alternatively as a hair stylist and small business owner, Kwolek began her first job working in a barbershop in Austin, Texas.
“I found that barbering really spoke to me. It allowed my creativity and perfectionism to come out,” Kwolek said of the experience. “Barbershops were an integral part of communities for many decades, and they have been having a resurgence over the last few years. I think it has a lot to do with the styles men are wearing — they’re wearing a lot more precision cuts now.”
Over the last two years, Kwolek continued to develop her skills at a barbershop in Virginia. During that time, while she and her husband lived in Virginia, they would often take trips to visit Shepherdstown. It was on one of those trips that she noticed her current space had become available for rent.
“My ultimate goal was to open up a place when the right time and place came along,” Kwolek said, mentioning her current location fit that description. “The town doesn’t have a barber. And while I can’t bring the old barbershop feel to this place, I can provide quality cuts and shaves.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that Kwolek has not placed nods to the past in her barbershop. Kwolek has decorated her location with several vintage pieces, including a mirror used by her grandfather from his childhood to his passing at age 93.
“I’m using that, because it means a lot to me,” Kwolek said, mentioning she hopes to add a barber pole to the front of her business in the future. “I wanted my barbershop to be in the middle of ‘old-meets-newer.’ I wanted it to be classic barbering in a relaxing environment.”
Kwolek said her previous experience, starting three successful small businesses and working in barbershops, has prepared her for the challenge of opening Lucky’s Barbershop, which she hopes to run until she’s ready to retire. Kwolek graduated from the Carolina College of Hair Design in 1999 and was licensed in 2000. To be certified to practice barbering in West Virginia, Kwolek had to complete a 300-hour barbering program this spring with the International Beauty School in Martinsburg.
While she and her husband have not yet been able to personally move to Shepherdstown, they hope to do so in the future, due to their love for Shepherdstown and its caring residents.
“We’re really looking forward to being a part of this community, and hopefully will have the services and convenience that benefits the folks that live here,” Kwolek said. “Once we decided to move forward with this, it was very reassuring to see that the large majority of people walking through Shepherdstown were wearing masks, and that so many of Shepherdstown’s businesses are requiring masks. . . . That is the community I want to be a part of.”
Lucky’s Barbershop is currently accepting appointments, which can be made at luckysbarbershopwv.com or by calling 304-870-4788. Lucky’s Barbershop can also be found on Instagram @LuckysBarbershopWV.