About the shop
Clean chairs, sharp tools, good conversation and a barber who remembers how you like it. That is the whole idea behind Al's, and it is why so many customers have stayed for years.
Our story
Al's Unisex Barbershop is exactly what the name says: Al's shop. Al is the owner and the main barber, and he is the reason many customers walk through the door. Reviewers call him an excellent barber, welcoming and easy to talk to, someone who makes you feel comfortable the moment you sit down. One customer wrote that Al has been cutting his hair for more than eight years. Others say three years, five years, ten. In a city where people move and businesses change fast, that kind of loyalty says a lot.
It is not only the cut that brings people back. It is the feeling of the place. Customers describe a calm atmosphere and great conversation, a shop where you can catch up on the neighborhood or just close your eyes for twenty minutes. They also mention, over and over, how clean it is: the chairs, the floors, the tools and even the restroom. Keeping the shop spotless is simply part of how Al runs it.
The shop has become part of family routines too. Parents bring children for their very first haircut, and those kids come back for trims as they grow. Men and women both sit in the chair, because this is a true unisex barbershop. One longtime customer who now lives elsewhere still times haircuts around trips back home, just to keep the same barber.
Today, customers also ask for Fred. Recent reviews say Fred was awesome and really took his time to do an excellent job. Between Al's experience and Fred's patience, you are in careful hands whichever chair you end up in.
Who you will meet
The name on the sign and the barber many regulars have trusted for years. Customers describe Al as an excellent barber who is welcoming and easy to talk to, with a real care for detail in every fade, line and trim. If you are new to the shop and not sure who to ask for, ask for Al. He will take the time to understand what you want before he picks up the clippers.
A favorite in recent reviews. Customers say Fred was awesome and that he really took his time to do an excellent job, the kind of patient, careful cutting that fits right in at Al's. If the chair you usually sit in is busy, you can relax knowing Fred works to the same standard of clean, careful cuts the shop is known for.
In their words
Fred was awesome. Really took his time to do an excellent job.
Riley Retzloff · GoogleAl's barbershop is very clean and he is very welcoming and makes you feel comfortable.
Ribba Wood Working LLc · GoogleWhat we stand for
Fresh capes, clean tools, swept floors and a tidy restroom. Customers notice, and they mention it in their reviews more than almost anything else.
A good cut cannot be rushed. Every customer, from a nervous four-year-old to a regular of ten years, gets the time their haircut needs.
If a style will not suit your hair, or your hairline needs a gentler approach, you will hear it straight, along with what will work better.
Reviewers love the talk in the chair. Sports, family, the neighborhood, or nothing at all if you would rather just rest.
First haircuts and nervous kids get extra patience. The shop is calm, and nobody minds a pause to let a little one settle.
Men, women and kids. Every background, every style. The shop is family friendly, LGBTQ+ friendly and community oriented, and proud of it.
Area served
The shop is at 464 West Side Avenue, close to Lincoln Park and New Jersey City University. Most customers come from the surrounding blocks of the West Side, plus Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette, Journal Square and McGinley Square. It is a short walk from the West Side Avenue light rail station and a few minutes from Communipaw Avenue, Kennedy Boulevard and Route 440, so it is easy to reach from across Jersey City whether you walk, drive or ride.
Plenty of regulars are neighbors who stop in on the way home from work or between errands on the avenue. Others travel farther because they found a barber they trust and do not want to start over somewhere new. Whichever group you are in, the welcome is the same.
The shop
Representative photos — replaced with real shots of the shop before launch.
Call ahead and ask for Al or Fred.