International Insight

There's a whole world of barbering out there, so every issue we bring you a little international insight.

Americans really don’t do things by halves do they? Set up by Madison Boehm and her father, Christian, a custom clothier of 31 years, Jaxson Maximus in Miami, Florida is a radical retelling of a barbershop. Half salon, half bespoke tailor, it’s big, it’s bold and did we mention there’s a real life Formula 1 CART on the wall?

Couple that with the pool table, Bourbon bar, dartboard and James Bond mural and you’ve got a very enviable man cave. Oh and aside from the entertainment let’s not forget the fact that gents can get a sterling cut while they’re there too. But at Jaxson Maximus it’s no ordinary trim, in fact their Signature Cut involves a consultation, an expert cut in a luxury barber chair, plus a trip to the famous ZEN room for a facial, forearm and hand massage with essential oils and hot towel treatment. 

Of course when clients are done pampering, there’s the other side of the business to tempt them. Ah, the custom made suits. During a Skype tour of the salon, Madison explained the process to MB: “Our tailors take over 32 measurements to ensure suits are totally bespoke. Every item of clothing is cut by hand on paper prior to production by our master cutter. During an appointment, a custom stylist guides a client through the Jaxson Maximus design process, which includes every detail from selecting fabrics to all the smaller touches like what interior lining and what colour and shape buttons they want. A fitting six weeks later happens at the salon and any further alterations needed are done on site.”

And clients really don’t mind popping into Jaxson Maximus more than once, not when they see the bar. Serving coffee by day and Bourbon by night, a guest’s first drink is complimentary and the brand hosts events in the cool bar area.

But the real focal point of the salon is the stunning CART series car that hangs on the wall. Madison had a vision of what she wanted and searched everywhere for the perfect cart. Happily she came across the red and white vehicle, driven by the legendary Italian racing driver and Paralympian Alex Zanardi in 2002. Madison explains: “Alex has had many death-defying accidents [in fact, at the time of writing he’s recovering from a head injury] and he actually had an accident in this very cart. But we love it because it tells a story of perseverance which as a business we can really relate to.”

“IT’S NOT ABOUT JUST GREAT SERVICE ANYMORE, ALL SALONS SHOULD BE OFFERING GREAT SERVICE AS STANDARD.IT’S ALL A BOUT EXPERIENCE.”

She continues: “As a new business we’ve had our ups and downs. We hit our biggest month yet in February, but then had to close because of COVID-19 mid-March.”

Salon manager Tiffany Carnevale-Russo started last year and heads up the hair side of the business. Since 2019 she’s played around with reformulating the services on offer and has streamlined the staff to deliver a better business return. “We want to perfect everything at Jaxson Maximus,” Tiffany says. “Pre-COVID-19 we’d planned to open more branches. It’s so frustrating to think where we might be if the pandemic hadn’t happened.”

She continues: “But we’re an adaptable business and our main asset is that we understand our clients. One of our loyal guests said something to me that will always stick in my mind. He said: ‘It’s not about just brilliant service anymore, all salons should be offering amazing service as standard. It’s all about offering an experience’.” MB raises a glass of Bourbon to that well-fitting sentiment!