“Our goal is to make everyone in Kyle look good.”
That’s how Izzy Vidauri, proprietor of Barber Palace in Kyle, describes his mission. “Our motto is ‘you look good, you feel good, you do good’ — that’s something I aim to establish,” the native of California said.
Vidauri opened his shop at 1501 Bunton Creek on Aug. 2 and so far, business has been brisk. Located right across the street from Lehman High School, Vidauri said the students there have made up a good deal of his business. “We love Lehman kids,” he said. “They have definitely helped us out.”
Barber Izzy Vidauri said designs are also once again popular. “That’s a big thing,” he said, adding the most asked-for design is a part, “like a hook part on the side of the head.”
Vidauri said he has been working since the age of 15 and early on, had a job at a barber shop called Jupiter’s. “I started liking it a lot,” he said, prompting him to attend and graduate from barber school.
He moved to Kyle about six months ago and his shop has three barbers, including himself. One of the others, a San Marcos resident, has also been practicing his craft for more than 10 years. “We’ve pretty much been doing barbering for a long time.’
When the Hays Free Press stopped by to visit, the client in Vidauri’s chair was getting a “crop top,” a popular style that features sharp edges and sometimes, bangs or hair that is longer on top.
He said designs are also once again popular. “That’s a big thing,” he said, adding the most asked-for design is a part, “like a hook part on the side of the head.”
Barber Palace also does enhancements. For example, most places, Vidauri said, will simply just make beards look neat while his shop goes a step further. “We add a dye,” that further defines the beard and stays for days, so that customers can look their best for a wedding, big meeting or other special occasion.
He said he came by the name Barber Palace after finding out that his first choice, Olympus, was already registered by another barber shop in Texas.
“I needed to find another name. One of my friends said, hey, you need to name it something that stands out. If you go to Vegas the best place to stay is Caeser’s Palace. If you go to Cancun, the best place to stay is Mayan Palace.
“So I thought, why not Barber Palace, we ended up staying with that,” he said.
The initials BP have a particular meaning, he said, because he grew up in Baldwin Park, which, he mentioned, was the site of the first In-and-Out Burger place
While he’d like to see one of those franchises open in Kyle, Vidauri said he’s firmly on the side of Texans when it comes to burgers. “I love Whataburger,” he said.
Barber Palace can be found on Facebook and Instagram. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
