A Loose Insert, Bound Into This Issue
Vol. XII, No. 04 — Late Summer 2026
Skip the Bench.
Not the Barber.
Book chair one through four, watch the wait shrink before you've left the house, and carry your Union Card where you actually carry things. The shop's new app is out — apparently we're doing this now.
This Insert: Free With the App
Choose Your Chair
Today, Chair Two
4.8 / 5
Rated by 1,204 regulars, mostly on their way out the door
“Better than my bank's app, and it just books haircuts.”— Marcus W., App Store review
What's In This Insert
Five Things the App Does
Insert 01 — Booking
Choose Your Chair
Wednesday, Chair One
Pick Your Barber, Not Just a Slot
Every regular has a chair they trust — Del's steady hand, Frankie's pompadours, Marisol's scissor work, Theo's patience with a Saturday-morning wiggler. The app books the barber, not just a barber. Pick a name, pick a time, and Chair One knows you're coming before you've locked your bike.
Insert 02 — Walk-Ins
Live Wait Times
Updated 2 minutes ago
Know Before You Go
Two chairs are always open for walk-ins, and now you can see exactly how open. Check the app from the couch, the office, or the Number 6 bus, and you'll know whether it's a five-minute wait or a good afternoon to run your other errands first.
Insert 03 — Loyalty
Your Union Card
Stamp 6 of 8 — 2 to go free
Eight Stamps, No Card to Lose
The Regulars' Ledger now lives in your pocket. Every classic cut stamps itself automatically at checkout — no paper card to leave in a coat you wore twice all winter. Eighth cut's still on the house; the app just remembers so you don't have to.
Insert 04 — Notifications
2:47
Your Chair Is Ready
Del's ready for you at Chair One. Grab your coffee and head on in.
We'll Buzz You, Not the Other Way Around
Drop your name in for a walk-in, then go get coffee. We'll send a push the moment your chair opens up — no hovering by the door, no craning to hear your name over the clippers.
Insert 05 — Reference
Walk In With the Picture Already Picked
Forty-some cuts, shot in the shop's own light, sorted by barber specialty. Find the fade, the taper, the pompadour you mean, tap it, and hand your barber the phone instead of describing a haircut you saw on a stranger in 2019.
Insert 06 — Process
How It Works
Four steps, none of which involve standing by the door.
01
Join the Union
Download the app and set up your digital Union Card in under a minute. No card to carry, no form at the register.
02
Pick Your Chair
Book a specific barber and time, or check live wait times and walk right in whenever suits you.
03
We'll Buzz You
Get a push the second your chair's ready — whether you booked ahead or you're waiting on wait times.
04
Tap In, Get Stamped
Cut's done, ledger's stamped automatically. Eight cuts in, the ninth one's on us.
Insert 07 — Letters
Dispatches from the App Store
Unedited, mostly, from the reviews section.
Been going to Del since I was twelve. Now I don't even have to guess if Chair One's free — I just check before I leave work. Ridiculous that a barbershop app is better than my bank's.
The wait-time screen alone is worth it. Saved me from three separate wasted trips down to Union Street on a Saturday morning.
Booking and the lookbook are great. Notifications lagged behind by a couple minutes for me once, but it's never actually made me miss my chair.
My son picked his own fade out of the lookbook this time, which means we no longer argue about it in the car. Worth five stars on that alone.
The digital Union Card is the whole reason I switched from paper. Eight stamps in and I never once dug through my wallet looking for it.
Downloaded it mostly as a joke — a barbershop app? — and then used it four times in the first two weeks. Fine. It's good.
Insert 08 — Questions
Questions, Answered
Q1Do I need the app to book, or can I still call the shop?+
Q2Does using the app cost anything?+
Q3What if I don't have a smartphone?+
Q4Which phones does it run on?+
Q5Can I still walk in without checking the app first?+
Q6Push notification or text — which one do I get?+
Insert 09 — Last Call
Get the App Before Your Next Cut
Four chairs, one shop, no more standing by the door. Free to download, free to use, still not a real membership requirement.
Available wherever this phone happens to be standing. Which, this week, is Union Street.