Barber runs two successful businesses in Seaport

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After trying to figure out what his next step in life should be in 2013, Andrew Alicea decided to open his own barbershop right in his own neighborhood.

“Just living in the Seaport, I just saw there was a lot of growth potential in the seaport, and I wanted to be part of that. So [in] 2013, I attempted to start the process, find a place,” he said.

As he built himself up to become one of the city’s most sought-after barbers, Alicea fulfilled his dream and opened Seaport Barbers in 2017, which was one of the first businesses to open in the Seaport at One Seaport. 

Seaport Barbers is a convenient neighborhood escape for busy men, it’s a space to take a breath while enjoying a quality haircut. The shop’s rich chestnut walls and chic black leather chairs (considered the Rolls Royce of shop chairs) offer a luxurious service without the intimidation of a high-end salon.

When asked what people can expect when they walk in as a client, Alicea said that it is still a traditional barbershop experience.

“People tend to think, because it’s on the Seaport, it’s going to be a salon experience or something like that. We’re a typical barber shop … your neighborhood barber shop, we just happen to be in a bit of an upscale neighborhood.

Andrew Alicea, owner of Seaport Barbers, works with a client. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SEAPORT BARBERS

Some of the services include hot lather shaves, haircuts from small fades to long haircuts, trims, beard trims and others.

In 2023, he continued to expand his dream by opening Hair Seaport, a new salon concept located at Seaport’s retail and dining destination, The Superette.

Hair Seaport is more of a modern salon that gives a customized hair experience to each of its clients by offering a full-service salon menu. Some of the services offered include color, cuts and hair extensions. Along with its hair services, the salon also features an eyebrow specialist offering eyebrow shaping as well as microblading, threading, and their signature form of micro pigmentation that they call “flowy brows.”

Alicea credits his mother for supporting him and encouraging him to keep going and make his dream come true.

“She raised three kids in the ’70s, ’80s, even the ’90s, and made us all pretty successful children,” he said. 

Alicea hopes that when customers come into either of his spaces, they receive exactly what they desire.

“Our goal is to give them what they came for. [Whether] it’s a haircut, it’s a color, it’s any service that they signed up for. Typically, we want them to leave with exactly what they asked for. Everybody’s customer service-based, so we know how to treat our clients. By the time they leave, we want them to have a smile on their face and a hairstyle or haircut that they asked for,” he said.

While he was running two successful businesses in the Seaport, Alicea said that he had no idea about the growth that the Seaport would have, especially when he decided to build his businesses there.

“There’s a Vertex [Pharmaceuticals] building that was built in, I believe, 2011 or 2012. There was a hole in the ground where that building is, and there’s a parking lot where my barber shop is right now. There was also a parking lot where my hair salon is standing right now. So I just saw the need for this, my service, my professional service. I’m a barber. … I saw the need for the service I provide and decided to figure out how to get there,” he said.

While he is successful today, he also had some obstacles to overcome to make his dream a reality, including the process of figuring out how to become qualified to have a space in the Seaport and getting his finances and credit prepared for this business move.

Alicea offered advice for Black and other entrepreneurs of color who may want to follow in his footsteps and open a business of their own.

“I personally haven’t dealt with color barriers with my landlord. They’ve been great. But I wouldn’t necessarily lead with the Black-owned business title. I mean, if your skin’s Black and you want to be a business owner, that’s amazing, but you’re going into business to be a business owner,” he said.

He said that while being Black-owned is special to him, he encourages people to figure out what it takes to be a business owner and then just go for it, just as he did.

“And just, you know, go, go for it. Become qualified, become educated and take the steps to be a business owner and … just do it so well that there are no questions about you,” he said.