F.S.C. Barber is committed to offering a hassle-free, yet high quality experience, without the pretensions of a salon. Often credited for the revival of time-honored barbershop traditions, F.S.C. Barber’s expertly trained barbers provide classic men’s cuts and straight-razor shaves to a discerning clientele.

Founder Sam Buffa was born in Kings Mountain, CA, where he spent his formative years racing motorcycles. At 17, Buffa became the youngest person on the U.S. off-road team. The idea of opening a classic barbershop occurred to him while competing abroad. “The barbershop was where men would discuss sports, politics, and culture while getting a haircut or shave,” Buffa recalls. “And we want each of our locations to represent that same kind of engaging atmosphere.”

Founded in 2006 in the Lower East Side of New York, F.S.C. Barber has grown to include three New York locations and one in the Mission District of San Francisco. FSCBarber.com maintains our commitment to excellent service and a well curated selection of products for discerning customers.

Born in Kings Mountain, California, Sam Buffa had no idea he would someday be the brains behind a boutique barbershop on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In fact, his earliest career couldn’t have been more different. “I started riding motorcycles when I was 4 and spent my formative years motocross racing everyday,” he says. Buffa began racing professionally when he was just 15, and at 17, he was the youngest person on the U.S. motocross team. “Racing required me to be really confident and fearless at a young age,” he says. “And that prepared me for being independent later on.” Singular focus and drive also led Buffa to complete some of the worlds' most renowned and grueling endurance races – the Baja 500 and Baja 1000.

At 22, Buffa took a break from competitive racing and began working at Diesel, quickly becoming one of two U.S. marketing executives for the company. The experience redirected his interests, but Buffa eventually left New York to travel throughout Europe for six months. While traveling in Italy, the concept for FSC Barber was born when Buffa developed an interest in apothecaries and old-fashioned barbershops. “At the time,” he says, “there were only two kinds of places a guy could get his haircut: at a barbershop where it was cheap but they only did one type of haircut, or at a high-end salon where you had to pay upwards of $100. There was nothing in between.”

Drawing on the old world tradition of a barbershop as a place where men could gather socially, Buffa built his barbershop on Freemans Alley in the Lower East Side in 2006. The first barbershop offered the amenities of a modern salon within a space that was convivial, classic and inviting. Today, the original F.S.C. Barber location stocks a thoughtful selection of men’s skincare and apothecary products from around the world, all handpicked by Buffa.

In 2008, Buffa’s vision to expand F.S.C Barber lead to the opening of a freestanding outpost in New York’s West Village. The Horatio Street location of F.S.C. Barber keeps the same focus as the original – traditional and affordable services by experts in the field – in a setting modeled after a 1930s men’s club meets locker room. That same year, Sam opened the Vinegar Hill House restaurant in Brooklyn with partner Jean Adamson. Situated in the middle of a cobblestone block in the historic Vinegar Hill section of Dumbo, the cozy restaurant features rustic American cuisine.

In 2011, Sam brought his vision of traditional grooming to the west coast with the launch of F.S.C. Barber in San Francisco’s Mission District. At the corner of 18th Street and Valencia sits F.S.C. Barber and its comprehensive menu of grooming services and array of niche apothecary finds. In 2012, Buffa added an additional location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, launching the flagship location of Barber & Supply. The largest shop to date, Barber & Supply boasts a pop-up retail space showcasing collaborations with Malin+Goetz grooming products and Fair Ends clothing. To accompany the new store, BarberAndSupply.com offers nationwide retail online with an extensive selection of exclusive products.

While the barbershop life seems a major jump from his early days on a motorcycle, Buffa claims there are similarities. “I focused on endurance racing, which wasn’t about speed or aggressiveness; it was about having foresight and being strategic. And I think that’s something we’ve been able to explore with the F.S.C Barber.”

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