Face of the Modern Man: Peter Beauchamp
Motivated by an ability to make people look good, and thus feel good about themselves, Peter Beauchamp ascended to become Penticton’s Face of the Modern Man by committing to his vision that when a man is well-groomed and well dressed, a new sense of self-confidence is born.
Peter Beauchamp began his ascension to becoming Penticton’s Face of the Modern Man when he answered a phone call in May 2014.
On the other end, it was an old friend who was living in Penticton, called to inform Peter of an opportunity at a small, one-chair barbershop.
Having never been to Penticton, or the Okanagan for that matter, Peter decided to take the weekend to drive in from his Vancouver home to explore the area, see the shop and meet with the owner to discuss their vision and future possibilities.
Upon meeting the owner, he felt a growing sense of comfort and as the enticing list of opportunities lengthened, Peter and his husband spent the rest of the weekend touring Penticton, trying to ‘get the feel’ for it all.
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“We checked out the City of Penticton website to learn that the local government was pro-business and pro-progress, which we really liked,” said Peter. “So, on the Sunday drive back to Vancouver, we made the decision to give it a go.”
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he added.
By Friday of that week, Peter had rented a small apartment, furnished it and started barbering at Okanoggin Barbers — by late August, the owner approached Peter about buying Okanoggin Barbers and he gladly accepted.
“Once at the helm, I was able to let my vision of Okanoggin Barbers take shape.”
He started by revolutionizing the once small barbershop by creating an all-inclusive barbering and grooming service that had not yet existed in other traditional barbershops.
“I introduced a five-hot towel straight razor shave, custom beard work, more current hairstyles and several lines of hair and beard grooming products.”
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It was at this time, Peter incorporated several lines of clothing –- from socks, underwear, shirts, jackets – you name it, it took off right away. Clients loved the idea of a one-stop-shop where they could get their hair and beard work done, then get outfitted with a new, reasonably-priced shirt, shoes or a jacket.
Within the first six months, Peter knew he’d need more space. So he took a sledgehammer to the drywall and made more space for barber chairs and grooming products.
Turns out that Peter is as good with a hammer as he is with sheers, because over the first two years, Okanoggin Barbers went through three expansions, eventually opening the shop up right through to the back door.
Now, as Penticton’s pronounced Face of the Modern Man, Peter has tripled the size of their space to accommodate a more complete line of quality men’s wear, including shoes and tuxedo rentals.
With more on the horizon, Peter Beauchamp fondly remembers the early days in the Penticton shop when several wives and female partners approached him to say, ‘Thanks for giving my husband/partner his confidence back.’
“We’ve created a space where men feel comfortable by providing a variety of services that allows their confidence to grow and for them to feel great about themselves,” concluded Peter.
“I am good at getting men to ‘step out of their box’.”
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