Barbershop chain founded by Wayne brothers bucks convention, opens 10th location
WAYNE — Some called it a gamble, but as far as Jeffrey Agnello was concerned, opening a barbershop was a sure bet.
All that the teenager needed was a little boost from his family and a small lump of venture capital. And confidence, he said — confidence that he could make it work.
“Everyone thought I was crazy for opening up because they thought I didn’t know what I was doing,” said Agnello, 33, a graduate of Wayne Valley High School.
“But I had a lot of faith in myself,” he added. “I was very motivated.”
In November 2009, Agnello opened the barbershop with three chairs on East Main Street in Little Falls. It was established not long after he discovered his life’s work, dazzling his friends with his personal hair clipper in high school.
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The original shop is still there, across from Passaic Valley Regional High School. It eventually expanded to take over an empty storefront next door, and the business is now an award-winning enterprise with locations in five counties, including in Mahwah, Montclair, Morristown, Sparta and at Preakness Shopping Center in Wayne. The 10th shop opened this month on Chestnut Street in Ridgewood.
City Image Barber Shop is the largest chain of privately owned barbershops in the state. Agnello runs it through an equal partnership with his elder brother, Joseph Agnello, and his friend, Izak Orero, who was among the first barbers he hired.
In a recent interview at their office on Valley Road, the businessmen joked how they each have the same lofty title — according to their desk plates, that is. And in a more earnest tone, the partners explained the secrets behind their success.
“We’re always the first to do things,” said Joseph Agnello, 38, a graduate of DePaul Catholic High School. “We’re not scared to take risks.”
One of their most calculated risks to pay off was a decision to offer free medical insurance to their 50-plus employees.
City Image is the only barbershop chain in the U.S. to provide that benefit, the partners said.
It all started because of COVID.
In March 2020, barbershops in the state were ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy to close indefinitely due to the virus outbreak. Barbers even left the industry to seek work that offered health care.
That is when the partners figured out how to provide it for their staff.
Joseph Agnello said he consulted a cousin who owns a business and that he was referred to an insurer based in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“I thought that we could probably swing it for free,” he said.
City Image spends more than $100,000 per year in medical insurance for 30-some-odd staffers who elect to take it.
“We want our employees to be healthy, which allows them to be happier and to perform at their best,” said Joseph Agnello. “There’s no reason why anyone should leave the industry because they feel like it’s unstable.”
Orero, 33, a native of Fair Lawn, said City Image is reversing the stigma that a long-term career is not available to those who pursue the barbering trade.
“Value attracts the valuable,” he said. “We hire people who care more and stay longer.”
‘Great relationship’
Before their family moved to the township, the Agnello brothers were raised in a two-bedroom apartment on East 23rd Street in the People’s Park section of Paterson — a historically Italian American neighborhood.
Living in such close quarters at an early age is how the brothers get along so well as adults, they said.
They share in the decision-making, said Jeffrey Agnello.
“We’re not always on the same page,” he said. “But we understand that when someone feels truly about something, it doesn’t get overruled.”
His brother agreed, noting that he felt as if they were each other’s “life rafts.”
“I’m the older brother, and I’m always looking out for him,” said Joseph Agnello. “But as you grow up, he becomes your best friend. That’s where I think we have a great relationship.”
City Image locations offer a menu of services that include beard trims, hot towel shaves and master scissor work. Prices depend on the expertise of the barber, the partners said.
Each location also sells City Image hair care products, under the brand name MMIX — the year, in Roman numerals, that the original shop was founded.
The line of merchandise, which includes beard oil, forming cream and sea salt spray, is another example of the business setting the pace in a wildly competitive field where new styles emerge every day.
“People knocked us for some of our innovations,” said its founder, Jeffrey Agnello. “But we’re the pioneers.”
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 'Not scared to take risks': NJ barbershop chain redefines success
