TAPER AND FADE. The Eau Claire Barber College currently has open enrollment for the first round of classes which begin on Sept. 5. 

If you dream about the sounds of clippers and the sight of hair dropping to the floor thanks to your own precise skills, we’ve got good news for you! The Eau Claire Barber College – owned and operated by Chip’s Barbershop’s (416 Water St., Eau Claire) owner, Chapin Turner – is preparing to begin its first round of classes on Sept. 5 and registration is now open.

Anyone interested in being licensed by the State of Wisconsin to be a barber can now do so in the first Barber College in the area, located at 211 Graham Ave., Eau Claire. The full-time program runs for 36 weeks with a 34-hour-a-week commitment. The total tuition for the class is $12,500 with payment plans and scholarships available. The classes will cover all of the ins and outs of cutting and styling different types of men’s hair, and will even offer additional helpful information like managing your money as a professional barber.

Enrollment will close when the 10 available spots are filled, but if the spots don’t fill, the college will have a rolling admission through their educational system that offers online programs which could allow students to catch up in the program quickly, even if the Sept. 5 date passes. As of now, five spots are remaining.

There are currently three instructors at the college: Chapin Turner, Chris Flores, and guest instructor Becky Hicks. Flores has been a licensed barber since 2011 and works at Chip’s Barbershop, but is hoping to start his own business in the near future. Hicks helped Turner get started in the business and will be teaching a chemical course at the college.

Interested in a cheap haircut and helping push someone’s education forward? The Eau Claire Barber College will be offering $10 haircuts to the public for the students to practice techniques on. Appointments can be made at the Eau Claire Barber College’s website and will open up in mid-October.

As opposed to a cosmetology program that covers all things beauty, Turner is hoping to help his students zero in on men’s haircuts and perfect the craft in that one aspect.

“When I went to school, I realized that the teachers, they can do these haircuts, but they can't do what's trending right now or they can’t do the hair for people with different ethnicities,” Turner said. “That's what they struggle with, cutting the hair of someone who's Asian or someone who's African-American or just the kid with the curly hair.”

Chapin Turner pictured with Kit Harrington on the set of Blood for Dust. (Photo via Facebook)

Turner’s career recently took an exciting turn when he was asked to head the Men’s Hair Department for a movie titled Blood for Dust, where he got to style hair for actors like Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones), Josh Lucas (Yellowstone), and more back in November. In the hopes that similar projects arise, Turner is looking for qualified barbers that are interested in instructing at the college.

Donned with 10 decked-out barber stations, a classroom setting, wall art, an impressive lighting display, and even student lockers, the Eau Claire Barber Shop is only missing one thing now – students. Turner is excited to welcome the first batch of students that will soon leave full-fledged barbers.

Learn more about the Eau Claire Barber College and enroll in classes at ecbc.education.