For the good of Mankind: There’s a new woman-owned barbershop in Shaler

Breaking news: mullets are back in style!

Since opening their barbershop on Aug. 30, Harley Dischner and Paige Reis have been cranking out the hairdos that are all business in the front, party in the rear.

“I’m doing a perm on a mullet later today,” Reis says with a smile.

The women are the proprietors of Mankind, a full-service barbershop at 1902 Babcock Blvd. in Shaler, where everything is casual – not just the cuts.

Anyone who wants to rock a bald fade or the aforementioned hockey hair can kick back at the new spot with a complimentary beer or cocktail and snacks. You can also watch a sporting event on TV while getting a shave, a beard and mustache trim or an eyebrow wax and stock up on grooming products.

Walk-ins, as well as kids, are welcome.

After growing out their locks during quarantine or making failed attempts at self-cut coiffures, people are in need of some professional pampering. Dischner and Reis, who were out of work for several months at the start of the pandemic, are happy to oblige.

They’ve been doing a lot of “repair jobs” and say they feel more appreciated than ever before.

Best friends since their days at Shaler Area High School, they graduated from the cosmetology program at A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless in 2017.

Both stylists did stints at local salons but felt more rooted in barbering.

“Men’s cuts are quicker, so you get to meet more people,” Dischner says. “At a salon, I’d work on one person for three hours. Here, we can get 30 customers a day.”

More than 84,000 cars pass by the shop each week and lots of folks, enticed by the barber pole and the matching Wacky Arm Waver.

The place is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.

Many gents who walk in are surprised to see two women running Mankind.

“My favorite part is meeting new people and making them feel good about themselves,” Dischner says. “You can see their mood improve from the time they come in to the time they leave.”