KillerOrange!

One of the first locally owned businesses I visited when I moved to Orange County, CA six years ago was Chad’s Hair Store. To this day, when I hear the words Orange County, Chad’s is one of the first things that I think of.

Just like Orange County, Chad’s is an eclectic mix of art, glamour, funky kitsch, and a warm friendly atmosphere that is occasionally disrupted by a charged political discussion. But, most of the time laughter and camaraderie is what you will experience on a visit to Chad’s Hair Store.

The shop which houses Chad’s Hair Store is a piece of OC history. It is the oldest barber shop on Tustin Avenue. For the past 17 years, the shop has been owned by Chad Fults. The shop itself is a work of modern art, from the surplus corrugated tin which lines the walls, to the vintage barber chairs and unusual gift items that grace the shelves. Chad says the inspiration for the shop’s décor was the bedroom he had when he was sixteen years old.

Chad has a crew of dedicated but tardy people to help serve the beauty needs of his clientele. Jessica, Joseph, George, and Ted can sometimes be seen at the crack of midday showing up to help Chad charm the customers. The company motto is “It takes a village to open the store.”

Chad’s and Archie’s Ice Cream have a cooperative arrangement in which Archie’s will give you a coupon for a free haircut at Chad’s with an ice cream purchase and Chad’s will give you a voucher for a free ice cream with your haircut. Chad says, “This is a great partnership for us here at the Hair Store. If a customer thinks their haircut sucks, hey, at least they got free ice cream.” (Chad is forever practicing his material for his stand up routine-- ask him about it.)

Chad’s Hair Store gives back to the community by participating and sponsoring fundraising events. Chad’s sponsors events like offering free haircuts to all veterans who come by the shop on Veteran’s Day. Then there is the biennial “Rubber Ducky in the Window” event, in which a flotilla of rubber ducks are placed in Chad’s shop window. People buy a chance to guess how many ducks are in the window, the person who guesses closest gets free haircuts for the year. The proceeds from this event go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.


A trip to Chad’s Hair Store is always a unique experience. It makes a mundane trip to the barber for a haircut into an interesting event that you can share at dinner. Stop in and take a little off the top AND get a free ice cream!