Photo: Daniel Meigs Hey Thanks, Dominican Barbershop,

The main thing that separates a Dominican barbershop from other hair-cutting establishments has to be the dedication. Getting the angles and contours of a hairline and beard all sharp and symmetrical takes skill, but the best barber at a Dominican shop wields his clippers and straight edge razor the way a sculptor takes a hammer and chisel to marble. Sure, he may also be taking a phone call or joking with another barber at the same time, but that’s a mark of quality. Dominican barbers also enjoy an international reputation: They’re the favored stylists for Major League Baseball stars in the States, and they’re growing popular with soccer players in Argentina.

Back in Massachusetts, I lived near plenty of barbershops that were owned and operated by Dominicans. Some were better than others, but when you found the right shop, you were set. Especially if you have a beard — they don’t just tidy it up, they make it a statement. Boston barbershops are sometimes adorned with cutouts and pictures of Red Sox hero David Ortiz, a Dominican Republic native and owner of a pristine chin strap. (Sure enough, the retired slugger’s favorite barber was Dominican, too.) Some of these shops attract a mostly Latino clientele, while others bring in a diverse crowd seeking sleek fades and immaculate beards. Earlier this year I left Boston for Nashville, a city with no bodegas, and I was worried: Who was gonna cut my hair now? My concerns may have been a bit exaggerated. After all, my hair is thick and straight, and a white barber could probably handle it just fine. But I didn’t want “just fine.”

So when I learned about Dominican Barbershop in Plaza Mariachi, I knew where to go for my first haircut in Nashville, and I wasn’t disappointed. There I found a familiar meticulousness. The barber, in no rush to finish, used his razor, scissors and clippers to turn my overgrown mess of hair into something presentable and manageable, and my facial hair went from scruffy to sharp. I don’t know how many of the barbers on staff are actually Dominican, but that’s beside the point: I wanted to get a quality cut and support a Latino-owned business, and on those fronts Dominican Barbershop delivers. The cut may take a while, but when it’s over and you look in the mirror, you’ll realize all that time in the chair was worth it.

—Alejandro Ramirez

Associate editor, Nashville Scene