MPL Cuts, an indie barber shop focused on serving LGBTQ+ folks in Little Italy, has just closed its doors amid some internal drama.
The shop was an innovative, much-needed concept in the face of hyper-masculine bro barber culture, offering gender-free haircuts and serving (and employing) a diverse, LGBTQ+ clientele in a comfortable, safe space.
Proprietor Tyler Lumb, who opened the shop near College and Bathurst in 2018, says that MPL was suddenly and unexpectedly shuttered this week after a falling out with a family member who legally owned the business on his behalf.
"She fired me, kicked all of my barbers out and shut down operations," Lumb alleges, adding that he is now seeking legal advice to try and re-claim the location. "I think I have to sue my sister and my own shop."
In the meantime, Lumb is cutting hair independently from his home shop and seeking to guest spot at another barbershop in Toronto.
"What I’m most upset about is that she took something away from a community that doesn’t belong to her," he says. "Now where are all my clients going to go? Where are all my barbers that felt safe working there going to go?"
MPL was known for pricing its haircuts by hour rather than by gender or hair length, and for offering sliding scale days and Toonie deals on certain days of the month for those who desperately needed a cut but were strapped for cash.
It also featured house-made balms and products, gender-neutral washrooms and colourful, comfortable atmosphere.
It was a barbershop and community space that will hopefully get a chance to return in either its former iteration, or a new one in the hands of Lumb.
by Becky Robertson via blogTO
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