Gerome and Monica Ruff have opened Urban Cutz, a speakeasy-themed barber shop at 21 S. High St. in downtown West Chester.

The husband-and-wife team launched their first business together after Gerome spent more than 18 years cutting hair and building a client base in West Chester, the Daily Local News reported. The roughly 1,200-square-foot space sits behind Ginkgo Arts and is reached through a covered brick walkway off High Street, next to Barnaby's.

Inside, brown walls meet wood floors and exposed brass water piping. A barber chair the Daily Local described as "appropriate for a king" anchors the room. Gerome described the overall look as a "speakeasy barber shop with a rustic, homey, old barbershop feel."

The shop is the first business venture for both Ruffs. Gerome said he has wanted to own a barber shop since childhood and spent years talking through the idea with Monica. She handles layout and marketing while he works the chair.

Monica told the Daily Local the road to opening was harder than expected, with setbacks along the way. In roughly a month of operation, Urban Cutz has earned a five-star customer rating.

Gerome's client relationships run deep. He has cut hair for customers who first sat in his chair as middle schoolers and kept coming back through college graduation. He said he especially enjoys styling clients before weddings, birthday parties and graduations.

"I'm helping him live his dream," Monica said.

Building owners Charlot Barker and her son Steve Figgatt, who run Ginkgo Arts in the same building, said the Ruffs have reinvented the space and brought the same creative energy they sought when they started the arts community at the address.

The shop plans to add more barber chairs and bring on additional barbers, though no timeline has been announced.

Urban Cutz is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop can be reached at 717-975-7325 or on Instagram at urban_cutz_barbershop_2025.