Above: From left, Michele Anderson, Kylie Thoeny and Holly Jensen are the women behind The Crew in Fairmont.

FAIRMONT– The Crew just celebrated its one year anniversary. The barbershop, located at 412 E. Blue Earth Ave. in Fairmont, is run by three licensed cosmetologists, Kylie Thoeny, Michele Anderson and Holly Jensen.

The women shared that the barbershop was originally named Lee’s Barbershop. Lee Liljenquist opened it in 1970 and worked up until he retired in 2013.

Then Shawna Hanneman took it over and changed the name to Crew Cuts for Men. The shop has been at its current location since 2014. The women shared that the building was originally a garage, but has also housed a floral shop, chiropractor and insurance agency.

Like many other businesses, the shop struggled during Covid.

“We were shut down without any warning. One day we came to work and the next day we couldn’t come to work,” Thoeny said.

Then the weekend before Mother’s Day of 2020, the women said Hanneman told them she wanted to sell the property the shop was on as she was ready to focus on other things.

“We still wanted to run the business but there were a lot of uncertainties,” Thoeny said.

The women started looking at other properties. They were allowed to open back up in June and in July, the building was sold and thankfully, the new owners let them stay there.

“It happened very fast,” Anderson said.

They officially took over ownership on Aug. 1 and opened under the new name mid-September 2020.

“When we took it over we shortened it to just ‘The Crew’ because people were kind of confused. They didn’t know if it was just crew cuts or if they could bring their kids in so we shortened it to not be so specific,” said Thoeny.

All three are from Martin County and they all carry cosmetology licenses from Minnesota West in Jackson.

“We were all taught the same way under the same teachers which has been kind of cool,” Anderson said.

Anderson said their scope of practice specializes in clipper cuts, beard trims and things that men primarily look for. They also all learned some from Hanneman, who had learned from Liljenquist.

Thoeny said for their business, they focus on time frames because women’s haircuts, styles and color can take an hour or more.

“Guys just want to get in and get out. It’s been for men only since the 70s so we kept it that way,” Theony said.

“I wouldn’t call it easier, but it’s less specialized. Men are very laid back,” Anderson said.

She said there’s about 25 salons in Fairmont and the surrounding communities, but The Crew is the only barbershop that caters to men only.

“Men need something, too,” Anderson said.

The shop recently started offering ear and nose waxing, which Thoeny said has been popular among their customers.

The trio said they’ve gotten quite a few new customers post-Covid because stylists couldn’t get them in because they were so far pre-booked.

“From 1970 to 2020, we were strictly walk-in. You didn’t need an appointment. That’s the biggest thing that’s changed with our business,” Thoeny said.

When they re-opened, they had to go down to 50 percent of their fire code capacity and could only have two customers in at a time so appointments were needed to control the flow of traffic.

Thoeny said some people like it and some people don’t, but everyone is getting used to it now.

“We have had wonderful clients who have been very supportive of us, pre-Covid and post-Cvid. We had a couple times where someone put an envelope of money in the mailbox because they knew we were shut down with no source of income,” Anderson said.

Last Christmas a customer gifted them a classic barber pole, which is now displayed in the shop.

The women of The Crew also want to give back.

“We’re really trying to have the shop more involved in certain community aspects. If people ask for a donation we help if we can, but this year we decided to sponsor The Opera House. We’re trying to engage in more local things,” Anderson said.

For Veteran’s Day, they’re offering free haircuts for Veterans, just as they have the last few years.

“It’s our way of saying thank-you to Veterans,” Thoeny said.

The Crew is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, but on Wednesdays they’re open until 7 p.m. On Saturdays they’re open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.