Born and raised on the island of Galveston, Texas, Rob Villarreal, an only child, developed an interest in barbering at a very young age after discovering his grandfathers barber bag in the attic. Although he never did have the chance to meet his grandfather Evaristo Villarreal who was a barber at Fort Crockett in WWII and later at the Buccaneer Hotel until his passing in 1959, he became fascinated with him.
History
“I would never claim to have invented barbering, but I have taken it to another level. I’ve done more haircuts in more countries than any other barber in the world. There are a lot of other barbers out there now, using the “Chop Shop” name and even ones that are franchising “Rock & Roll Barbershop”, but I will say that at a time when barbering had become a lost art, I feel grateful to have been the one to open the door and pave the way, for what today has become such a craze. ”
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
As a child Rob loved spending time down at the local barbershop, from the smell of the shop to the sound of the clippers, he enjoyed sitting in the chair & watching the men conversing amongst each other. He was given his first shaving mug & razor at age five, Little Mister. Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Evaristo Villarreal, Rob took up the craft of barbering, moved to Dallas, Texas and opened Rob’s Chop Shop in March of 1995.
Located in Exposition Park across the street from Historic Fair Park, Rob’s Chop Shop immediately hailed acclaim with its distinguished name, Rock & Roll memorabilia covering the walls, delivering only Traditional Classic Men’s haircuts from Junior Contours, Pompadours and Flat Tops with Fenders to the Business Man and Ivy League. The Galveston native created a bygone era establishment that combined both his love for Rock & Roll and his passion for cutting hair.
It wasn’t long after opening the doors that Rob started anchoring his name around the world. He traveled everywhere from England, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland and Holland attending Rock & Roll and Rockabilly music festivals cutting hair, selling t-shirts and his own line of RCS Hair Pomade, saturating his logo around the Globe. With a roster of clientele from musicians to celebrities, Rob’s Chop Shop had come to be known as “World Famous”.
Rob’s decidedly unique dream that more men would catch onto the throwback era hairstyles definitely proved very successful, accrediting him today with the title “the Legendary Rob’s Chop Shop”. Today you will see his t-shirt on a guy or gal in almost every big city around the world!