The Client
Boardwalk Barbers is a three-generation family barbershop that has operated on Atlantic Avenue in Pleasantville since 1987. Tony Marino opened the shop with a single chair. Today, his son and grandson work the second and third chairs alongside him. The business runs on word-of-mouth, walk-ins, and four decades of repeat customers — the kind of foundation a lot of small businesses would envy, but one that doesn’t reach the next generation of customers on its own.
The Problem
The Marinos had no real web presence. New residents searching “barber near me” found chain franchises three towns over before they found the shop two blocks from their house. Younger customers wanted to see the shop, see the cuts, and book a chair from their phone before walking in. None of that was possible.
The challenge wasn’t just building a website. It was translating forty years of authentic neighborhood character into a digital storefront without making it feel sterile, corporate, or like every other small-business template on the internet.
The Approach
Suit & Tie spent the first week on discovery, not design. We sat in the shop, talked to all three Marinos, and listened to regulars. The brand was already there — checkerboard floors, Sinatra on the radio, a “gone fishin’” sign on Mondays. Our job was to put it on a screen without diluting it.
Design direction: Vintage Jersey Shore Americana. Warm cream backgrounds, deep ocean teal, sunset rust, and mustard accents — a palette pulled directly from the boardwalk itself. Typography pairs a chunky slab serif (signage feel) with hand-lettered script (personal, family-run feel) and a condensed sans (clean, modern legibility).
Key creative decisions:
- A live animated barber pole on the homepage as the visual anchor — the universal symbol of the trade, brought to life
- A scrolling top marquee announcing walk-ins, hot shaves, and the 1987 establishment date — the digital equivalent of the chalkboard out front
- A dedicated “Three Chairs. Forty Years.” family-story section, because the Marino lineage is the differentiator no chain can replicate
- Service descriptions written in the shop’s voice, not template copy (“forty-five minutes of pure ceremony, you’ll never buy a Gillette again”)
- Honest, specific operational details — closed Mondays, the Sal’s Pizza landmark, the 609 number — that signal “real local business” to both customers and search engines
What Was Built
- Single-page responsive website (mobile, tablet, desktop)
- Hero section with animated barber pole and primary booking CTA
- Three-tier service menu with transparent pricing
- Family-story brand narrative section
- Customer testimonial display
- Hours, location, and contact block with click-to-call phone number
- Local SEO foundation with structured address data
- Hosting, domain setup, and SSL certificate
- One round of revisions and a 30-day post-launch support window
The Result
- Site launched in three weeks from kickoff
- First month post-launch: a measurable lift in walk-in customers citing “found you online” when asked
- Phone bookings increased without adding any phone lines or staff
“It looks like the shop. I don’t know how you did that, but it looks like the shop.” — Tony Marino
Why It Worked
Mom-and-pop businesses don’t need to look like startups. They need to look like themselves — only sharper, faster to find, and easier to do business with. Boardwalk Barbers already had a brand. We just gave it a front door on the internet.