Fresh Cuts and Family Vibes: Sharkey’s Opens in South Durham

By Tricia Smar, Special to Southpoint Access

The wait is over for the brand new Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids in Durham and your family is going to love it! Located in Sutton Station on Fayetteville, Sharkey’s answers the SoDu call for a kid-focused family hair salon.

In addition to being mere steps away from current SoDu staple Nantucket Grill, the salon is even closer to the upcoming Cucciolo Famiglia, paving the way for the perfect family outing of haircuts and a delicious lunch or dinner.

Let me take you through my experience getting both kiddo and adult haircuts at Sharkey’s Durham. Before I even left my house for our appointment, I was pleased with my Sharkey’s experience. First, when I went to schedule the appointment, the website listed the prices of each of the services. This may not sound groundbreaking, but other local Sharkey’s locations opt not to include pricing, so this transparency was a breath of fresh air. Then I was excited to find parent-child deals when both get haircuts, so I signed up for a mom & daughter appointment as well as a first haircut package for my son. There is also a Sharkey’s app, which gives you the same information as logging into your account on the website, but in app form if that’s your preference.

As soon as I walked in, I was met with colorful, fun décor and friendly faces. The welcoming owner and staff live or grew up in Durham, so while this is a franchise, it exudes the familiarity and sense of community of a locally owned business. They even have jars representing area nonprofits, like Animal Protection Society of Durham and Autism Society of NC , and everyone who gets a haircut votes on which nonprofit will receive a portion of the proceeds. Though very busy for opening weekend, owner Eduardo and manager Teisha were super personable and each took time to speak with me during our visit.

Now onto the haircuts: my 4-year-old daughter went first and chose to sit in the swanky Paw Patrol car chair while watching Mighty Pups on her own TV screen. I showed Teisha a few inspo photos and she was off to the races, carefully crafting a coif that fulfilled my little’s dreams. I was impressed at her patience and skill, which unsurprisingly comes from Teisha’s years of salon experience.

Next it was my son’s turn for his first haircut. At 18 months, he’s quite wiggly and easily spooked by new experiences, so this was to be no walk in the park. Tashianna worked with me to figure out how she could best approach his cut, switching from having him in the seat to being in my arms and from clippers to scissors for less of a sensory overload. I have no idea how that sorceress managed to give my boy a whole new, clean crew cut while he flailed and cried. She knocked it out of the park and I got to walk away with a baggie of his baby curls, a certificate, and before/after photos to boot.

Lastly, it was time for my mommy cut. Going into a “kid salon” for an adult haircut, I was a little nervous how the experience would measure up. However, if you’re not in the market for color treatment, Sharkey’s is a great option for a regular haircut and these professionally trained stylists are up to the task. Plus, the tween/teen seats easily transform into adult-friendly chairs, so while you may not get your hair cut in a pink Jeep or a fire truck, you’ll still feel plenty comfortable. I opted out of the shampoo, blow dry, and minicure (painted nails, which is available to all genders!) as we were creeping up on toddler naptime, but Teisha was able to trim up my ‘do just the way I wanted.

As my family was wrapping up payment and voting for our favorite nonprofit, I noticed the wall of Sharkey’s brand hair products as well as toys for sale. From dinosaurs to squishies to branded merch, it was hard to resist a trinket to remember our first visit. Our kiddos each walked out with a balloon and stuffed shark, super content and looking so fresh.

The experience was overall so pleasant, though there were also a few hiccups along the way. First, there was some confusion over scheduling via phone versus online that can likely be chocked up to a new system. Second, with only two stylists working, there was a bit of a wait (~10 min) before our appointment. Lastly, the prices are a bit high when you compare them to a Great Clips ($10 for a child haircut there vs. $32+ at Sharkey’s). However, when you account for the kid-centric features, like the themed seats, built-in kids TVs, minicures, video game station, free balloons, and general ambiance, I’d say it’s worth the price of admission.

Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids can be found at 5850 Fayetteville Rd., Ste. 103. It’s open M-F, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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