Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 366: Luxury Barbering With Heart

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Shama Bell with The Southern Gent a good neighbor?

Looking for more than a quick buzz and a rushed checkout? We sit with master barber and owner Shama Bell to unpack how The Southern Gent elevates men’s grooming with time, intention, and skill. From a childhood apprenticeship to decades behind the chair, Shama charts the path that shaped her philosophy: slow the service down, sharpen the craft, and send every client out the door feeling like a king.

You’ll hear how a thoughtful consultation becomes the backbone of great results. Shama breaks down how face shape, growth patterns, and daily routines inform the right cut and beard design—whether it’s a classic scissor cut, a precise fade, or a straight-razor shave with a crisp finish. We explore the small but powerful details that define luxury without pretense: curated music, hot towels, clean tools, and optional touches like a neat pour of whiskey, all anchored in a space where the clock doesn’t dominate the chair.

We also dig into the business side. Shama explains why word of mouth and Google reviews outperform paid ads for service brands, and how consistency, hospitality, and clear communication turn first-time visitors into long-term regulars. Beyond technique, the conversation centers on male self-care and the gap The Southern Gent fills—a place where men can step back from the rush, get honest guidance, and leave with confidence that lasts all week.

If you value craft over speed and want a roadmap for building loyalty through service, this story delivers. Tap play, subscribe for more local business spotlights, and share this episode with a friend who needs a proper cut and a calmer pace. Leave a review to help more neighbors discover conversations like this.

To learn more about The Southern Gent, go to:
 🔗 https://tsoutherngent.com/

The Southern Gent

303-563-9376

SPEAKER_02:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a luxury barber shop? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Shama Bell, with the Southern Jet. Shama, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm doing wonderful. How about yourself?

SPEAKER_00:

I am also doing wonderful. Now we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you tell us a little bit about your company and how you got into this business?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I got into this business a long, long time ago. I was about 10 years old and started apprenticing. I jumped forward many, many years. It's been about 30 now, and uh dual license between both. I absolutely love doing hair and uh especially men's. It's uh a passion of mine to be able to make sure that they walk out with confidence.

SPEAKER_00:

That is so important. And just to tell us a little bit more about your business, what can men expect when they go into your luxury barber shop?

SPEAKER_01:

To feel like a king in my chair. They're gonna have a skilled barber working on them to be able to sit and relax and just enjoy the music and have a great haircut and a shave and an excellent beard trimming and whatever services that they are actually in the chair for.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing, amazing. So then there's a variety of services they can get done.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Uh, the website has probably, oh, I'm gonna say a good 50 different services that they can choose from.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, and what's a specific Southern Gent touch or detail that you feel truly sets apart your barbershop from others? And why is having that touch so important to you?

SPEAKER_01:

It is for me, the defining uh the southern gent, it's uh it's a great consultation, it sets it apart because of the experience that they have here, and I'm gonna throw my notes away. Um the reason why I created the southern gent is because people are in such a hurry nowadays that they are not able to sit down and relax, they're pushed in and pushed out, and they they don't get the quality service that they actually they deserve. And the reason why I created this is to have slow them down, relax in a nice environment, and to be able to have the skill and the time and friendship. That's another reason is to bring back the personability between the barber and their client. Um, I am not in a rush to get them in and out of my chair, they are here to get the experience that they are uh they're expecting every time. And every time they're in my chair, I try to best the last time they were in their chair. It's just how it's supposed to be.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. Now we know marketing is the heart of every business. Who are your target customers or demographic? And in terms of marketing, how do you attract them?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely, word of mouth. That is the best way to market in any type of field. Is a happy client will tell a million other clients, and then they're gonna want to know where they got it done, and so on and so forth. From there, I use Google. Uh, Google is my number one marketing. Um, I get a ton of people uh from just seeing the reviews, it's all about word of mouth, in my opinion. You can pay for all kinds of different marketing schemes, but the best way, in my opinion, is through word of mouth.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. Now, Shama, have you ever thought about having your own podcast for the Southern Gent?

SPEAKER_01:

I have thought about it, I just don't have the time. That's the honest truth. I've tried to keep up with the blog, and that's even hard to do.

SPEAKER_00:

Shama, I have to ask you now, when it comes to being so important to you to treat every single man in the chair as a king, you know, where does the the desire for the male empowerment for you come from?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I I raised three sons, and um it's just I I think they deserve it. They don't have a place like women to be able to go to the spa on a normal. I mean, you anybody can go to a spa, but what I mean like they go in, they get their hair done, they get their nails done, they get their pedicures done, and they don't really have a barbershop out there that really there are some out there, but they don't they're not able to just go in and be treated like kings, and that's why I created the Southern Gen. Is so that way they can come in, they can have nice little glass of whiskey if that's what they like, or any type of other beverage. They sit back, they get their their services, and just they're treated like a king.

SPEAKER_00:

Awesome. Well, I do really, really love that. Now, where can our listeners go to learn more about the southern gent?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, so the website is tsoutherngent.com. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. I'm on them all, and you can find that all through my website.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, Shama, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

I appreciate it, Sophia.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Frisco.com. That's GNP Frisco dot com or call four six six six six six six nine two two two two two two two two two two two two two one nine three four four four four four five.