On University Avenue, Barbershops and Salons Are Building More Than Businesses
Sponsored by Neighborhood Development Center, this piece spotlights the beauty and grooming businesses clustered along University Avenue, from CJ African Hair and Privilege Barber Lounge near Victoria Station to the dense cluster of salons at Dale Station. Owners including Angela Walker of Crown Garden, Damen Johnson of Grooming House Barber Shop, and Milan Dennie of King Milan's Barber Shop describe their shops as spaces for mentorship and connection, with Dennie partnering with the nonprofit It's Our Neighborhood to launch Minnesota's first youth barber training program. The story is part of NDC's Hidden GEMS campaign, spotlighting corridor businesses this summer.
University Avenue has always been known for its restaurants, international markets, and family-owned shops. Increasingly, it’s also become a destination for beauty and grooming, home to barbershops, braiding studios, and salons that draw clients from across the Twin Cities.
Near Victoria Station, CJ African Hair and Privilege Barber Lounge represent the range of expertise available along the corridor, from precision barbering to natural hair care to braiding styles rooted in tradition. These are businesses built by owners who know their clients aren’t just customers, but neighbors.
A few stops east at Dale Station, the density of beauty businesses tells its own story. Grooming House Barber Shop, Anh’s Hairstylists, Glamour New York Cuts, Reliance Salon, U Haircut, TT Salon, TJ Nails, and Collective Salon Studios all sit within a few blocks of each other, giving clients options without ever having to leave the neighborhood.
At Collective Salon Studios, independent stylists rent space to run their own businesses under one roof, a model that gives owners a path to running their own shop without the overhead of a standalone storefront. Angela Walker, owner of Crown Garden, is one of them. Walker grew up in the neighborhood she now serves.
“Serving my clients in the heart of Frogtown has me feeling empowered,” Walker said. “I am honored to work within a community of thriving businesses. The convenience, diversity, and professionalism of the neighborhood motivate me to be my best self and continuously elevate my business at Collective Salon Studios.”
Just down the block, Damen Johnson is carrying on a family legacy at Grooming House Barber Shop, located on Dale near Collective Salon Studios. For Johnson, the shop isn’t just his first venture on the avenue, it’s a continuation of a story his grandmother started decades ago.
“I love owning a business on University Avenue in such a great community, following in the footsteps of my grandmother Shirley who owned Ebony Lady and served our community for years before me,” Johnson said.
Closer to Western Station, Blendz Barber Shop and King Milan’s Barber Shop show what it looks like when a barbershop becomes a cornerstone of the block. For Milan Dennie, owner of King Milan’s, the shop was never just about the cut.
“Owning a business on University Avenue means much more to me than operating a barbershop,” Dennie said. “My shop has become a place where people come not only for haircuts, but for mentorship, encouragement, and connection.”
Dennie has taken that philosophy further by partnering with the nonprofit It’s Our Neighborhood (ION) to launch Minnesota’s first youth barber training program, creating a direct pipeline for young people to build career skills, confidence, and a path toward owning their own shop one day.
These businesses are just a sample of the salons, barbershops, and beauty entrepreneurs who’ve made University Avenue home. Owners like Walker, Johnson, and Dennie describe their shops as places built on more than transactions, spaces for mentorship, connection, and pride in the neighborhoods they come from. Their success is a reminder of what local ownership can mean for a corridor like University Avenue.
That story is now getting wider recognition through University Avenue’s Hidden GEMS campaign, an initiative led by Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) with support from the City of Saint Paul’s Commercial Corridor Program. This summer, the campaign is spotlighting businesses between Lexington Parkway and Rice Street through window clings, billboards, local influencers, and digital storytelling.
To explore the full list of businesses participating in the Hidden GEMS on University Avenue campaign, including restaurants, retailers, beauty businesses, and service providers throughout the district, visit www.ndc-mn.org/gems.
Business owners along University Avenue interested in learning more about the campaign or getting involved can reach Neighborhood Development Center at communications@ndc-mn.org.
