Nick Zarate, working under the barber’s moniker Zarateblendz, recently opened his first shop in a converted shipping container south of 817 SE 82nd Avenue. FadeBox PDX has room to support four haircutting stations within a long, brightly lit space that, when combined with the many ring lights, entices customers to feel like they are on-set, readying for the camera. Two barbers currently work from the space, but Zarate is actively seeking people who want to rent a chair at the unique 82nd Avenue location.

Zarate opened the space on July 3rd, after refreshing an interior that once housed HT Xpress. He painted the space, which already had double glass doors at the front and three side windows. Adding the hexagon lights visually transformed the black-box interior with near daylight illumination. “I feel like lighting is the most important thing for a barber shop, just so you can see your fade and then the before and after pics turn out really good,” said Zarate.

Zarate has cut hair professionally for eight years, working in area shops like Black Diamond Barber Shop when it was on NE Glisan Street. However, some of his most formative works began during a time when he was forced to work alone. “I was in barber school, and then COVID hit a couple of months later,” explained Zarate. “It was hard to get clientele, but then again, it was easier because there were no barber shops open with everything closed down, so I worked from home most of the time.” He built his client book and alternated between working in shops and from home.

This year, Zarate heard from a friend about an opportunity to work in this space on 82nd Avenue and jumped at it. “There’s a lot of people that come by and say, ‘we’ve been waiting for a barber shop to be right here on the block because there’s really none,'” recalled Zarate. The barber shop is clustered near Henry’s Market and Covert Cafe just south of the historic Montavilla Downtown on SE Stark Street. He says they are enjoying the business group nearby, with informal cross-promotion efforts occurring between the barber shop and cafe.

Zarate explained that they work with all hair types and are open to all people looking for a haircut. However, they specialize in the fade, a seamless transition in hair length from short to shorter, often tapering down to the skin on the sides and back of the head. “The most popular one is the bald fade, which is a skin fade basically. Anyone who doesn’t really know about that and comes in here, I tell them the best option is getting a skin fade because it grows out to three different haircuts,” said Zarate. They offer other beard and eyebrow trimming services for a small additional fee. He said they target midrange prices starting at $45 for adults and $35 for kids.

The shop opens daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They accept walk-ins, but the quickest way to get in is to book at fadeboxpdx.booksy.com. The big steel shipping container doors seal up over the storefront when FadeBox PDX is closed, making it easy to see if anyone is available. Zarate likes the converted shipping container barber shop setup and feels that it could become a successful model across the region. “I would like to expand in the Clackamas area, Gresham area. FadeBox Clackamas, FadeBox Gresham, maybe even try to franchise it one day if it really gets popular.” People interested in learning more about the business should visit its Instagram page, instagram.com/fadeboxpdx, to see examples of past work and message Zarate with any questions.

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