Kelly Petschl has spent more than 35 years cutting hair. After a career with Super Cuts, working her way up from employee to management, Petschl moved back to Montrose five years ago and has since purchased the name “Jack the Clipper,” a longtime barbershop that operated under two prior owners on Townsend Avenue. She’s been operating under her business name “Jack the Clipper by Kelly” for about four-and-a-half years.
Petschl’s shop is right off Main Street at 17 N. Cascade Ave.
Montrose Business Times: How did you get into cutting hair?
Kelly Petschl: My grandpa was a barber, and I thought that was pretty cool. I wanted to cut hair, so I got my license. So I’ve just been cutting hair for 35 years. I do family haircuts.
MBT: How many clients do you see, and how has that changed or grown since you started?
Petschl: Jack the Clipper had been open for a very long time. It was Jack, and he sold it to his niece, then his niece sold it to my friend. Then when I moved away (15 years ago), she ended up closing it up. When I came back, I just bought the name “Jack the Clipper” and added the “by Kelly.” But I started at the Townsend location, and it was very slow. But here, I fill up every day. I do about 20 haircuts a day. It’s awesome.
MBT: Is there anything about your business that sets you apart from others?
Petschl: I think we all bring our own quality into what we do, but since COVID, they made us do appointments, and I just stuck with appointments. I will never go back to taking walk-ins. The customers like it, and I like it. I get one-on-one time for at least 10-15 minutes with everybody, and it’s nice.
MBT: Do you want to grow your business or change it?
Petschl: I am just grateful every day. I appreciate being full every day, and I can’t really look further than that. I don’t really want another person working here. I used to have one other person, but I really like the one-on-one time I get with clients.
MBT: Anything else you want to add?
Petschl: I just love what I do. After 35 years, I love that I get to meet everybody. And I don’t think it goes unnoticed that people want to come back.
