Rudy's Barbershop is a chain of barbershops founded in Seattle, Washington and located primarily on the United States West Coast. The first Rudy's was opened by Alex Calderwood, David Petersen and Wade Weigel in 1992. Rudy's Barbershops are known for their casual, retro-hip aesthetic.

History

Alex Calderwood, a club promoter, was inspired to found the first Rudy's during occasional visits to Sig's, a neighborhood barbershop. Seeking to combine the traditional barbershop experience with trendier hairstyles that would appeal to a younger clientele, Calderwood, along with partners Weigel and Petersen, opened the first location in Seattle's Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington

Capitol Hill is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the center of the city's gay and counterculture communities, and is one of the city's most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts....

 neighborhood in 1992. The name Rudy was inspired by the character of the same name from the television program Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. Filmation was the production company for the series. The show premiered in 1972 and ran until 1985...

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By 2003 the chain had expanded to eight properties - four additional Seattle locations, plus two shops in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and three in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

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There are presently 14 Rudy's barbershops in Seattle, Los Angeles and Portland. A New York location was planned for July 2010 and would have be co-located in the new Ace Hotel

Ace Hotels

Ace Hotel is a chain of hotels originally founded in Seattle, Washington. It operates hotels in Seattle, Portland, New York and Palm Springs. Ace has been called “the country’s most original” hotel by the New York Times, and a “mega-chain waiting to happen” by Wallpaper .-History:The first Ace...

New York (another Calderwood and Weigel venture), however this never occurred. Calderwood and Weigel haven't released a statement regarding the status of the property planned for NYC.

Brand Extensions

In 2006 Calderwood, Weigel and Petersen opened "Rudolph's", a more upscale version of Rudy's that took appointments (Rudy's shops operate on a no appointment/walk-in basis). The sole Rudolph's shop is in Los Angeles.