Burlingame Business Man Expands His Hair Cutting Game

Juan Gala’s background is not in hairstyling. In fact, Gala joked the last time he cut hair was his own 30 years ago, and his mother was displeased with the outcome. But now, Gala is getting ready to open up Sports Clips in Burlingame, his second location of the national franchise specializing in men’s haircuts.

“I have clients who drive all the way from San Bruno to come to Sports Clips,” Gala said of his San Mateo shop. “We were seeing people at our door before we even opened.”

Gala moved to Burlingame from Indiana six years ago. He worked on the financial side of the biotech industry, but when the company he worked at was bought out, he began looking for new opportunities. He had been a Sports Clips client in Indiana, and when a consultant floated the concept of opening his own franchise passed him, he grabbed at it.

His San Mateo location opened a year ago April 9, and the Burlingame Plaza location will open its doors April 31.

“I’m a Burlingame resident, so it’s in my own back yard,” Gala said, adding that his kids go to school less than a mile away at . “It has a thriving population, thriving economy...it’s kind of a nice stepping stone to go north.”

Sports Clips is unlike other hair salons or barbershops. When a client enters, he is directed to wait at the “tailgate”—rows of chairs facing a television playing sports that appears to be situated on the back of a pick-up truck, which has been painted on the wall. Once it’s time for the haircut, the client is taken to the “locker room” where again big TVs play sports while men get their hair trimmed.

“It’s a wow factor,” said Gala. “They come for the concept.”

The rest of the experience is sports themed, as well, like the MVP service, which includes a neck massage and steamed towel.

Gala already has some Burlingame clients, but is hoping to expand his reach with the new shop.  He also has plans to personalize the Burlingame location a bit more by hanging sports-themed art from local Studio and possibly display some sports memorabilia from .

Gala’s also looking forward to the community at Burlingame Plaza, and being around other small business owners like him.

“You have a community who knows who you are,” he said. “They try to support you, and you try to go back and support the community.”

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