There is a barbershop on Fourth Avenue with an “old school” feel, and a spinning barber sign right outside that you just can’t miss. It’s called Cutter’s Barber Shop, and if it’s a good clean cut, shave, beard trim or more that you’re looking for then look no further. This barber shop can do it all.
Cutter Taggart grew up in Olympia, and he graduated from Olympia Barber School. He came across being a barber when he had a close friend introduce him to the art of cutting hair.
“I find peace in it,” he says. “My great grandfather was a barber, and my father used to cut hair on ships.” And with a name like Cutter, it seems like he was meant to be a barber. After he graduated from school, he worked in a shop with a gentleman named Doug Parsons. “I learned everything I could from him and I was very fortunate to learn from him [while he was fresh out of school.]” Parsons was a big mentor for Cutter, and he took everything he learned with him to open up his shop.
Cutter has finally planted his shop on the main street downtown just a couple of doors over from the iconic Spar Café. Back in 2013 when he opened his first shop on Washington Street, he started in just a small studio with only two chairs. Now he has three other barbers in his shop, all while providing premium haircuts to the community. “I enjoy allowing people to start, and they are their own boss,” he says of how he runs his shop.
“I’d say my shop has a traditional barbershop feel with a new school spin to it with skin fades and designs,” he says. “But we also do straight razor cuts, and use actual clippers and no sheers.”
When it comes to other services they provide, they also do face shaving, although they don’t see it too often. “It’s therapeutic for men. Similar to when a woman gets her nails done,” he says, and this is what makes Cutter’s Barber Shop feel unique. It’s a quality cut, and experience that will keep customers returning.
In the few shops that he has run in the past, he used to do walk-ins only. Now, because of the popularity in the cuts they provide, you must schedule online. His barbers Stephanie Bankuti, Nieko Anderson and Ryan Debeau are all fantastic. They all are very accommodating and will achieve the look you want. They have even cut hair for younger kids who have certainly given them a challenge. They never stray away from cutting someone’s hair, and they will always make you feel welcomed into the shop.
Since Cutter has made his mark in downtown Olympia, he has also participated in community events as well. In the past, he has donated haircuts to local churches around town, shown up at local events to provide haircuts, and was even a sponsor for Hip Hop for the Homeless. There he provided haircuts and gave out coupons for people in need of a haircut to visit him and his barbers at the shop. This year, he looks forward to participating in the Olympia Arts Walk, as well as Olympia’s Halloween events. Since those events are fairly big in Olympia, they bring in people to his shop that wouldn’t normally be there. He gets to meet members of the community, and also cut hair for people and make them look dapper.
As for the future of Cutter’s Barbershop: “Well, I hope to outlast the last guy that was here for 30 years, but we’ll see. Ultimately, I’d like to retire off of this, or maybe have another shop I’m not sure yet,” he says. Regardless of those plans, for now, Cutter is enjoying being behind the chair and cutting hair while enjoying life.
Cutter’s Barber Shop is located at 118 4th Avenue E., Olympia. For more information, you can call the shop at 360-810-0409.
