‘As long as hair grows, there’s opportunity.’
MEEKER | After months of bringing his black-and-white mobile barbershop to Meeker on weekends, barber Chris Mattox is officially putting down roots in the community that welcomed him from the start.
Mattox, owner of Distinguished Barber Studio, recently opened a permanent shop location at Seventh Street and Main Street after spending nearly a year traveling from Grand Junction in his solar-powered barber bus.
“When did I first think about opening a permanent location? It kind of fell in my lap,” Mattox said. “I met the landlord over this building, and he let me know he had spaces available. I kind of got tired of the bus back and forth, and I think I can service more people by having an actual shop.”
The move marks a new chapter for Mattox, whose mobile barber bus became a familiar sight in Meeker after he began visiting the town regularly in 2025. While the bus helped introduce his business to the community, Mattox said the permanent location allows him to create more of the traditional barbershop atmosphere he values.
“I want the feel of the barber shop anyway,” he said. “I can get more people in here than I can on the bus, and I can bring another one of my barbers too. It’s more barbers for the people.”
Mattox said business was especially busy when the bus parked along Colorado Highway 13 in front of Ducey’s Electric.
“People were tearing the bus doors down,” he said with a laugh.
Now located a block off Main Street, Mattox said he is still working to build visibility for the new shop while settling into a routine.
“I haven’t done anything like an opening yet or set hours,” he said. “Right now I’m just kind of feeling the town out. For the next couple weeks, I’ll be here every day.”
For Mattox, opening a permanent location in a small town was never something he viewed as a gamble.
“I don’t see it as a risk,” he said. “As long as hair grows, there’s opportunity.”
He said the support he has received from Meeker residents since first bringing the barber bus to town made the decision easy.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with the hospitality of the town and how the people received me here,” Mattox said. “It made it an easy choice for me to come to Meeker. I’ve been in other cities, and the reception I get here is second to none.”
Beyond haircuts, Mattox believes a barbershop plays an important role in building community connections, especially among men and young people.
“The barber shop really is for a lot of men to come around each other and male camaraderie,” he said. “We need that. I can offer that atmosphere to them.”
He said the permanent shop creates opportunities for conversations and mentorship that were more difficult to create inside the smaller mobile setup.
“The younger kids watch the older men,” Mattox said. “You can do that more in a shop than you can on that bus.”
Although the mobile barber bus helped establish his presence in Meeker, Mattox said the heart of the business has always been about people rather than the location itself.
“It’s me and the people,” he said. “I could be outside with a chair. It don’t matter to me. As long as the people are coming, I’m giving them the experience.”
As he settles into the new location and prepares for the busy summer season, Mattox said he already considers himself successful.
“I’m successful now,” he said. “I got two barber shops, a mobile service, a beautiful wife, beautiful grandkids, two daughters. Life is good. I don’t have to become rich. Just having people come to me all the time is success to me.”
For Mattox, the move to a permanent shop in Meeker represents more than business growth — it is the continuation of the relationships that first began when a barber bus rolled into town.
A mirror selfie captures barber and owner Chris Mattox cutting reporter and photographer Jared Henderson’s hair inside Distinguished Barber Studio’s new storefront in Meeker earlier this week. Mattox recently transitioned from operating a mobile barber bus to opening a permanent location on 7th and Main. JARED HENDERSON PHOTO