B.A.B.E. of Brooklyn is a beloved brand and barbershop. But the original babe?
That’s co-founder Wil Allen’s mom, a licensed cosmetologist.
Mrs. Gracie Allen began doing hair in the 1960s in her Crown Heights house and a local salon (her late husband was a Navy seaman who served in WWII and the Korean War).
With 1,000 hours of training in specialities such as marcelling, iron curling, permanent waving, bleaches, hygiene and anatomy, she was well prepared to coif her clients.
Fast forward some six decades, and Mrs. Allen has retired to North Carolina while her son, Wil, and his wife, Tameka, are growing the family business.
The couple introduced a homemade, organic hair balm in 2012, then opened a Cobble Hill barbershop (which shuttered in 2020), followed by a one-chair Williamsburg salon in the Mill Building last year.
The brand name Allen coined, B.A.B.E. of Brooklyn, celebrates the women in his life, including his mother, late mother-in-law, wife and young daughter. “Basically it’s a love story and my way of thanking my parents for everything they’ve done for my family,” says Allen, who’s also the company’s creative designer.
After the Cobble Hill salon closed due to the pandemic, he wasn’t certain about rebuilding. “I wasn’t sure if people would return,” he tells Alexa. “Nonetheless, [we] built the space anyway. We are grateful for the embrace and truly appreciate how people are returning to the shop.”
He crafts his products in small batches, including everything from beard balms to an herbal shave cream and alcohol-free tonic. A new shared signature fragrance is made by an outside perfumer. Allen’s hair-care line is so popular that he’s collaborated with other brands, including J.Crew and Fellow Barber.
“The products are all organic and don’t have preservatives in them,” explains Jason Biggs, who works as a master barber at the shop on weekends and as a social worker during the week. “They’re almost edible,” he adds. “Most products have a lot of chemicals in them to do what you need them to do. Ours don’t.”
B.A.B.E.’s bestseller is No. 3 Biker’s Brew, a creamy beard balm formulated with mango seed butter, beeswax, cocoa seed butter and vitamin E. “It’s good for your hair, beard and skin all-year- round,” says Biggs. “It’s a good utility product.”
The No. 1 Original was “designed to keep the hair hydrated while moisturizing the skin underneath to prevent dry itchy skin,” says Allen, who calls it his favorite. The No. 2 Earth, meanwhile, provides a stronger hold. All three pomades hydrate and soften follicles, enhance luster and smooth flyaways.
The shop also offers a variety of cuts and grooming experiences, including the No. 3. This relaxing 45-minute service includes a consultation, fade, taper, scissor cut and hot towel service, with shampoo upon request.
“Men need to be pampered,” says Biggs. “Pampering for men is coming here, getting a nice hot towel, getting offered a beverage and maybe being able to vent a little bit about their day. Regardless of what people think, men do like to be pampered. My gift is making people feel comfortable. It’s an exchange both ways.”
