Men, this one’s for you! Walk in, sit down, grab the remote and a cold beverage. This is the only work you’ll be asked to do at this new local hot spot for men! The Guys Hair Shop officially opened to the public on December 1st, 2011. Hard work, dedication, determination and a desire for diversity were the key factors in creating an environment made by a man, for men.

For owner, Andy Sarniguet, the dream evolved from a thought he had while on a visit to his stylist at the time, Morgan Scott. For years, he worked as a fleet mechanic but had the desire to do something different. After consulting with Morgan, on how he could make a successful business geared towards men, he sought after a location and began building his dream, one wall at a time. Andy and his cousin, Ehren Ameiss, spent countless hours after their daily job and on weekends putting things together. “We did everything,” he explained. Everything is exactly what the two did – since the location consisted of four white walls and a drop ceiling when they first began. Hammering, painting, laying floor and opening up the ceiling transformed the space into what is now known as The Guys Hair Shop.

Once all the prep work was done, it was time to design the layout fit for their desired clientele — MEN! The idea was to create an environment conducive to men; a place where they could come to relax for a bit and leave feeling

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Andrew Sarniguet currently works as a fleet mechanic, but a couple years ago a broken shoulder made him reconsider his line of work. While he took time off to recover from the injury, it occurred to him that he didn’t have to make his living with his hands.

“I wanted something else to do, something other than being a truck mechanic. I’ve been doing that since I was 16. I didn’t want to work for a corporation with all their stupid rules,” Sarniguet said.

About that time, he talked to a friend who was a hair stylist at a popular men’s salon with a sports theme. He decided that owning a guy’s hair salon sounded like a good idea, despite his lack of knowledge in the industry. He thought he could open a salon, hire expert stylists to run it during the day, then work the office in the evenings. Once the salon becomes established, he could quit his mechanic job and concentrate on opening more salons.

“I don’t cut hair, I don’t know anything about hair...I have hair,” he quipped. Still, that didn't stop him from looking into a Sport Clips franchise. He found out he couldn’t afford the franchise fee—but he had enough to open his own place. A better place.

Thus The Guys Hair Shop was born.

Sarniguet has been working on his business idea for at least two years. During that time he consulted with Morgan Scott, the friend who had worked at another salon, and who’s now his lead stylist. He also asked his girlfriend, Angie Stankoven to be his business partner. Stankoven works in advertising and handles the store’s promotion. They took a fresh look at men’s hair salons and mapped out all the ways they could make it better for both the stylist and the customer.

“We looked at all the problems in the industry, from the type of flooring to the techniques, the wait time and even the price,” Sarniguet said.


Though he lives in North County, he choose Fenton for his first location. He hopes to move closer to the store when the time is right. The shop in Brookwood Center was completely empty, which allowed him to set up the salon just the way he wanted it.

“Me and my cousin built the whole thing,” he said. He ripped out the drop ceiling and had the rafters painted black. He installed the type of wood floor Scott said would work best, one that looks sharp but is also easy to sweep up. He hung his own collection of sports memorabilia on the walls and placed a vintage Coke refrigerator in the corner. The shop’s four chairs sit in the middle of the floor facing a free standing mirror that also acts as storage space for stylist’s tools. Big flat screen TVs are placed directly behind the customer’s chair so they can watch a game in the reflection, over the head of their stylist.

“We give the remote to the customer. You want to watch football? Go ahead,” he said. Sarniguet said one of his pet peeves as a customer was being forced to watch one channel when so many other games are on. His shop TV has a sports package so customers can catch any game or just channel surf.

He also wants his customers to have a comfortable wait, so instead of hard chairs he bought sofas. He plans on adding a few more to line the wall behind the salon chairs, so that parents waiting on their sons can stay close.

“And we’ll bring you a drink while you wait,” he said. Right now he’s limited to offering his customer’s Coke, Sprite and water, but he’s applied for a liquor license so he can soon offer beer as well. He’s not sure if he’ll be allowed to sell beer or if he’ll be limited to a complementary one with a haircut.

Sarniguet currently has two full time stylists and two part time stylists on call, who can come in when the shop is busy. He plans on hiring two more full time stylists in the immediate future, then maybe a few more as the shop builds up business. He’d also like to extend the shop’s hours to make it more accessible for customers who work during the day. Currently the shop is open from 10am to 7pm Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.


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