Full, unedited review at: http://fathungrypanda.blogspot.com/2015/05/arrow-haircuts.html I saw my first barber in 1974. He was a bearish man named Lauren--a gruff, gravelly-voiced barber with white stubble-beard and white Cubavera shirt, who always joked that he'd cut my ear off and feed it to his cat if I wasn't still while I was in his chair. Of course, the threat kept me in line, and I was always rewarded with a Dum Dum sucker for my obediance. His shop was in the basement of the strip mall my father started his law practice in. It had three steel barber chairs...though Lauren was the only barber in residence. Tools sat in glass jars of blue Barbasol, and clippers rested under the UV glow on the shelf. The air was always heavy with pipe and cigar smoke, and there was always one or the other sitting in an ashtray, its ember patiently glowing as it waited for him to take a puff. Next to them, he'd rigged an AM car stereo to take power from the wall and play over speakers. To this day, when I hear the old CBS radio news sounder, I can flash back to that shop. When I have a Dum Dum sucker, I always think of him. Lauren wasn't a "designer" or a "stylist." He was an old school barber, cut from the cloth of the men from the Greatest Generation--Hemingway with shears and a cat with allegedly curious eating habits. When I went to Arrow for the first time, I was awash in nostalgia. It looked like the barber shop that I remembered from my youth. As I first looked about, I almost expected to see Lauren spin around in one of the chairs, putting his newspaper down and pipe in the ashtray as he asked me if I was going to be good, or if his cat was going to get a bonus in its evening Tender Vittles. The floors were stone, the walls finished with raw wood and metal sheeting. A faint hint of talc laced the air. A man offered me a beer...or bottle of water if I wasn't feeling like alcohol. I know myself well enough to handle styling decisions confidently. I have a long face, almost rectangular. I need something to break it up at the top or bottom, and over the years, I had a certain cut that worked for me. I even carry pictures of it in my phone, to show to stylists. Sadly, my most recent visit to Arrow has left me with a Kid-and-Play style "eraserhead" hairdo that only Arsenio Hall might envy. Now I'm sure you're thinking "but the stylist had to look at the pictures before he started." Arrow has high ratings here. Everyone on Yelp raves about them. I can tell you that he begrudgingly took my phone...after even asking in shock "you've got something you want me to look at?" I can tell you that he swiped through a few. I can tell you that as he was starting to buzz the top of my head, when I asked if he was leaving enough hair for the outward taper, he assured me that he was on point with the pictures. He put clippers to my head and started shearing. I asked which guard he was using. When I asked for a shorter guard, he almost took offense to it, like the act of taking the #2 off and replacing it with a #1/2 for the back and sides was like asking Jose Ebert to wash a client's hair. Granted, as he was cutting, he talked to his "bro" who came in to rebook an appointment. He talked to Aaron, the gentleman who checks people in. He pretty much talked to everyone BUT me. Once my glasses were off, I could just as well have been a practice head at a barbering school. Of course once I had my glasses back, when he was completely done (I guess barbers don't stop in the middle of a job to see if the client approves anymore. Even Lauren stopped threatening me with), and he saw that I was unhappy that I looked like an extra from the last House Party sequel, then he started talking. "What do you want me to do?" Dude-bro-Steve, you can't glue the hair back on. Honestly, what was my response? What should it have been? "Hey, no, it's okay! You spent so much time intercting with everyone else in that shop BUT my you didn't even to see what I thought about the job you were doing? Now, I'm looking at 4-6 weeks of regrowing before we could possibly salvage this. Thanks, bro!" I told him that it looked nothing like the pictures. So he defensively demanded to see my phone. After I showed him the third image, he shrugged it off in a condescending tone. "Hey, man, you're getting a freeeeeeeeeee haircut." I'd rather have had a good haircut. I'd rather have had a stylist who paid some attention to me, instead of thinking that giving me "generic-dude-bro-white-guy-cut-#3" would garner him a fast and easy tip. So I walked out with a bad haircut....and a certificate to come back for another one--marked "re-do" on the certificate. Sadly, Arrow is becoming a victim of their success. "Walk-ins welcome" is now code for "make an appointment." The free water is gone, only beer now. read more

Let me preface this, with saying I've never had a Barber shop experience. My haircuts have always been from places like sports clips and great clips, so I don't have any other barber shops to really compare this to. That being said, my experience was very good. I walked in with no appointment, during graduation weekend. The lady told me that they could try and fit me in between appointments, and it should be a few minutes. 10 minutes later, a women came and introduced herself and put me in the chair. She was very polite and friendly, and asked what I wanted, asking about my hair in specific ways such as what look I was going for and how I had typically gotten it before. My haircut was quick and precise, yet thorough (my hair isn't that hard to cut/deal with) and I was out of there in 30 minutes, including wait time. Overall, I would recommend this place, but highly suggest getting an appointment. I was lucky enough to be put in between appointments, but why risk it? I will be returning. read more

First time there. Thought it was terrible. Haircut started at 3:30 and she handed me the mirror at 3:39. I pointed out a few areas I didn't like and she went back over them for 30 seconds and handed me the mirror again. If I was more brash I would've asked if she had some place she needed to be. Not sure if it was the particular person I had or their policy to get people in and out as soon as possible. It wasn't crowded so I presume the former. Now that I'm home I see a number of strays that she missed in her express cut. Wanted to like it because it's so close to my house but I'll have to try another place before going back there and just trying another person. Too bad. read more

Attention!!! Arrow haircut is not just for men!!! Women can get their haircut done here at Arrow, too! So I've been coming here for a long time because my hubby only gets his haircut done here at Arrow. We've had many different hair stylists just because they are always busy... and it is impossible to find same person unless you make a reservation way earlier. But it's ok, all of hair stylists we had so far were amazing, and they did a great job. I love their concept a lot- as soon as you walk in, everything looks so clean, neat and things that they display on their shelf look so interesting! They have lots of magazines, cute little stuff that they are selling and the best part of this place is yasss, they offer you FREE beer or water. Yes, that's right, even though you walk in around 9am, they offer you beer if you want, so if you are feelin wild, wanna get awesome haircut and have a beer, go ahead and make a reservation with Arrow! So anyway, long story short, I've been wanting to get my haircut done... Well it's getting warmer, my hair has gotten so much thicker/heavier since I cut my hair last year, and I mean, it's always nice to trim and thin your hair often, right? so I looked many places on Yelp, but it was literally impossible to find less than $50 for ladies' haircut- to me, paying over $50 just for "haircut" is really ridiculous. I don't need any special haircut, highlight, or treatment. All I needed was just thinning and cutting, that's it! After I spent hours and hours looking for reasonable haircut places, I just decided to try Arrow. We go there all the time for my hubby's haircut and we always satisfied with them, so I decided to give it a try for my hair. I made a reservation few days earlier, and stopped by yesterday(Monday) morning. Like always, as soon as I walked in, they asked me about reservation and offered me a beer or water:) My hair stylist was Beth and she was the one who cut my hubby's hair two weeks ago. She greeted me and I was glad that she remembered me. As soon as I sat on the chair, I showed her some pictures of hair ideas that I was thinking. She said no problem and started cutting my hair. To get the perfect length, she asked me many questions at the beginning and I was so happy with my length! I was a little bit picky about my length and layers, but she worked with me and never got tired of getting requests from me(thanks so much Beth)!!! It took longer than my hubby's haircut(duh), but I was so satisfied with my haircut!!! Beth was so nice and she knew what she was doing- she kept asking my opinion during our haircut(length, style, layers, etc). I'm not gonna lie, I was a little bit nervous to cut my hair at Arrow just because they are known for men's haircut. But now I know where to go for my haircut! If you are just trying to cut, trim or thin your hair, Arrow is perfect for women too! I think their price is very reasonable(I swear, it is "impossible" to find this kind of price for women's haircut in Raleigh) and staff are always so nice and kind! Plus, free beer... lol! I am so happy with my haircut and I can't wait to go back soon! read more

I've been in here twice. The first time I got my haircut. I take that back. I've been there three times. The second time I went in there was to fix the first haircut. The third time I went in there was to get my beard trimmed. For some reason, the girl must have thought that I wanted one side of my beard to curve around a little bit differently than it did when I first showed up in there. I was just trying to get some length cut off, not redesign the whole beard. I don't know about this place. I have basically had three unfavorable experiences. It seems like they're cutting hair in the dark. Every time, I've inspected their work before I left, but when I get home and actually get into a lit-up area, it's easy to see the mistakes. Maybe with time they'll improve. It's a really good concept, and I hope it works. read more

Cute slogan, cold beer, false advertising and bad haircuts. I think that pretty much sums up my experience with the Arrow barber in Cameron Village. Their sign says walk ins welcome but I was told I had to make an appointment, which I did. When I asked the guy to cut my hair a little short he almost gave me a buzz cut and left it extremely choppy. And as its grown back in it looks terrible, way too short on top and uneven. I'd recommend buying a six pack at Harris Tetter and getting your hair cut somewhere else. read more

Think I found my barbershop. Got a great haircut, everyone was super nice, and even tidied up my beard. Got a free beer and the Proraso aftershave they stock was an added bonus. I highly recommend this place. Also it looks great in there and they stock provisions from great local artisans as well as shaving products. read more

Warning if you try to walk-in. They tell you they accept walk-ins, so you drive all the way there and plan on a haircut, then you look/feel like a fool when they tell you they really require you to book an appointment online because they are booked a day in advance. Just put on your website that walk-ins aren't welcome, Arrow- how much time are you wasting for other people. Super bummed out by that service. I later got my hair done at Sports Clips and it looked great haha. read more

Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback on Yelp, I was really excited to try Arrow. I've recently moved to the area, and I was looking to find a place to call home for a regular hair cut. Arrow seemed to fit the bill, and I was really encouraged when I walked in. It reminded me of the place I used to frequent back in Boston, with the added bonus of an offering of beer. Seemed amazing! I should mention that I scheduled an appointment for 5:30 -- I had an important meeting in the area at 6:30 that evening, so I wanted to make sure that I wasn't too distracted by my now-way-too-long-because-of-moving-etc. head of hair. So 5:30 came and went, and I didn't think too much of it. But then one customer was called, and another...and another. I'm not sure how many ended up being called in front of me, but it couldn't have been fewer than four or five. Once it got close to 6:00, I had to leave just to make sure that I didn't miss my appointment. I'd have no issue at all if I had been a walk-in -- you're totally at the mercy of the volume of customers at the time, and that's understood going in. But if you have an appointment scheduled for a particular time and no one says anything to you as customers are seen in front of you and minutes pass by, I think it's justified to be a bit frustrated by the experience. I wanted to like you, Arrow, I really did! I was all set to become a loyal, regular customer. Fortunately me and my floppy head of hair gained a customer of our own at my 6:30 meeting that night, so all wasn't entirely lost. read more

Really great cut and beard trim: professional, friendly, and my wife loves the new look!

Their hours: Mon-Fri open until 8. I call on Thursday @ 7 and say my grandson needs a shave. The woman on the phone assures me: Sure, they do shaves tell him to come on over. My grandson arrives at 7:15. They tell him they're closed. They still had their sign out front on the sidewalk offering beer-- it didn't look closed to me. My grandson is 32 and has autism. We had a family party to go to and he has trouble shaving himself so I told him I would treat for a shave. He was hesitant about trying Arrow: he noted he doesn't look or act cool. He's sweet, sincere, awkward and odd. My guess is he was right, they didn't want to serve him. What else could it be? But for all of you who are as one reviewer put it "a dude in search of a haircut" and don't want to mingle with anyone different than the dudes you hang out with. This is YOUR place! read more

Alex and I will continue to come here for him to receive services it was cheaper that our previous place and I didn't want to slap the barbar afterwards it's very clean professional and quick. read more

I'm done with these guys. They've gotten so the wait is like 3-5 days now. Plus my favorite haircut person moved. Gonna find someplace closer to home. read more

I'm always aiming to get back here for a nice shave and cut. Arrow has Fantastic people, cuts, atmosphere and free beer to boot!

Pete is a gentleman and a scholar. I had a great experience at Arrow Haircuts. They offer you a free beer or a bottle of H2O right when you walk in the door. Excellent customer service, Great atmosphere, most importantly the person cutting my hair did a fantastic job. Thanks Arrow Haircuts CP read more

Don't even waste your time. Yeah, have a beer while you wait when 3 other people are available and you've been waiting for half an hour. You know that they don't want to take care of you when they take the initiative to do other things they wouldn't do. Not a very good first impression. read more

I had read an article touting Arrow as a new option for a local, fair priced, high quality cut in a cool atmosphere so I visited last month. I'm headed back today and will be heading back each month, as long as my hair grows- and maybe even if it doesn't, for years ahead. GREAT PLACE! The fun part of Arrow is that it's cool, clean and you get a free beer (Fat Tire was my selection) with your cut. The important part though is that the staff knows what they're doing and gives you a great cut for a fair ($18 mens cut) price. I got my cut from Steve who was great. He took the time to ask how I'd been getting cut and gave me suggestions on tweaks that would improve my look. He was dead on and I came out with a great cut that I was very happy about. Pete, the Owner, keeps things organized, clean and moving along well. There is a cool vibe to the place (they renovated an old barbershop) and everyone seems to enjoy being there. I'm reading talk of an expansion down town (do it!) and I expect that the Cameron Village location will be a fixture. Great place, highly recommended and I look forward to heading back each month! read more

My husband and I recently moved to Raleigh and he was in need of a good barber. One day we stumbled upon Arrow in Cameron Village, a cute little shopping center. He easily made an appointment with Steve for the weekend. When we arrived for his appointment, they kindly greeted us and offered us beer and/or water. The place is super nice and quaint; they have shelves with unique products on display, modern wall decor, dog treats, lollipops, and a wide selection of magazines. My husband was a bit hesitant at first since he's had bad luck with new/local barbers, but Steve was amazing! He exceeded my husbands expectations. He was also very friendly and polite. From that moment on, he has religiously gone back to Steve for every single haircut. He's by far the best barber in Raleigh! read more

1st time here and so glad I did. Lo cut my hair and did a fantastic job. I didn't have an appointment so had to wait about 10 minutes. Not bad at all. They prefer appointments made online. I'll be prepared next time. Arrow has a cool look. It's laid back. If you drink they have a I'll definitely be returning. read more

I really enjoyed the environment. Was offered a beer as soon as I showed up. Nice to have one of those while waiting for my turn. Decent haircut, had a straight razor shave, (first time). It was relaxing, but shave was not as close as I would have liked. I'm not going to hold that against them as the overall experience was great. read more

Arrow is the best. Truly a barber shop updated for 21st century sensibilities. Great haircut, great environment, great customer service, and free beer! McKenna gives an amazing haircut, my only hesitation in singing her praises is that I don't want her to get so busy she can't fit me in her schedule when I need a haircut! read more

Went for the first time and had one of the poorest haircuts for the money I have ever received. It is uneven and looks rushed. I had a morning appointment and was one of 2 people in the building for the 4 stylists they had on staff. No one was waiting for the lady I had an appointment with and she finished my 30 minute haircut in less than 10 and it shows. Uneven and poorly cut. If you want my opinion, you pay for the "beer" and "culture" and get a $10 super cuts quality haircut...except supercuts may be better. read more

I love this hair cuttery! Finally I have found a salon that will cut women's hair for a REASONABLE price. It is unreasonable to pay $50+ for a trim, which seems to be the only price range other salons operate under. I have been many times. Plus a free beer doesn't hurt!! read more

shout out to my man Steve. I was in town for a wedding and I needed to get trimmed up. I scanned the yelp reviews and saw Steve mentioned so I made an appointment first thing friday morning. I got in and got exactly what I wanted, a vacation beer (no judgement given), and a healthy dose of friendly conversation. This was also a much cheaper mens cut than I am used to in Atlanta. I cant recommend Arrow enough! read more

I userd to go to other hair salons then one day I heard about arrow. I decided to check it out and I'm very glad that I did! I get a quality haircut for more than half the price of the the other places! Lately I have been getting my haircut by Annie,and she's superb! She does exactly what I ask for and is super friendly! Plus you get a free beer,what not to love? The environment is cool too,feels like a modern babes shop. Hands down the best place I've got a haircut! read more

I love the fact that this place is not just a place to get your haircut, it is something to experience. I had an appointment for 3:30pm and I was promptly seated in the barbers chair at 3:30. I was offered free beer and Steve my barber was awesome. Knew exactly how to talk to me, kept me occupied and gave me a fantastic cut. This is my new spot! read more

I've been going to Arrow for about 6 months and I can't imagine getting my haircut anywhere else. I go to Steve about once a month and he is awesome. He knows exactly what you want and always throws in awesome recommendations that take you hair cut to the next level. Throw in his super relaxed and friendly demeanor and you have one amazing barber. If you want a good haircut, shave, atmosphere, beer and friendly faces, go to Arrow. If you want a great haircut and shave, ask for Steve. read more

Starting going here several months ago, and won't get a haircut at any other place! Free beer with a cut. Free neck trim in between cuts. Neck trim with a straight razor every time. Friendly staff. Great ambience. Enough said. The word is out...I'd recommend calling ahead to get a reservation. Chelsea is awesome...she takes notes on how she cut your hair previously, so you don't have to remember whether it was a #2 or #3. 5 stars!! read more

I went to Arrow not for a haircut, but for a beard trim (or, more accurately, a beard cut). Pete was super friendly and offered me a beer as soon as I walked in the shop, which was awesome. I had set up an appointment for 12:30 and my name was called right around then. I had to wait a few minutes, but I got there early, so that's fair enough. Kris was the one lucky enough to get to cut my beard and she was very friendly, careful with the scissors (important) and she did exactly as I requested. Obviously, I can't speak for the haircuts, but everyone there seemed to be happy with their cuts. I would definitely recommend Arrow and Kris as well. read more

After moving to a new city and having the same barber for 4 years I was hesitant to have anyone else get near my hair! The downtown location has a very relaxed atmosphere with a free beer as an awesome addition! I have seen a few different stylists and love that each time my cut is different and unique. But the best part in my opinion is the straight razor shave at the end of the cut! read more

Great place! Love the simple design and decor was cool! Guy cut my difficult head as best as anyone could!

Love Chelsea! She is so great, actually listened to what I wanted, and gave me some great tips for dealing w my hair that is changing from straight to wavy. Calling today for my 8 week appointment. read more

I heard about this place when it opened but I finally needed a haircut and checked it out today. The place is great! I got a free beer and an inexpensive haircut. I love the hot shaving cream shave, the ambience, the staff, and the atmosphere. I think I just found my new regular place! read more

Can't say enough good things about this place. As a business traveler, I frequently am in search of a quality, and affordable, haircut while on the road. I found Arrow and Michelle was able to squeeze me in. Great haircut, very cool vibe in the shop, incredibly nice people, CLEAN and free Fat Tire while you wait - kind of wish I had to wait longer! I wish there was an Arrow in every city in which I travel, but when I'm back in Raleigh, I'll skip my normal barber and come back to Arrow. I would try and make a reservation online to be safe, but if not, go in and ask for Michelle! read more

Went for the first time today. A great experience. It is a friendly place with great atmosphere. Most importantly the haircut was top notch. Steve really took the time and gave a high quality scissor cut. Most places you get clipped then a few scissor snips. Here is the complete opposite. Great interior; like something you would see in Dwell magazine. I recommend calling ahead to make an appointment. read more

I'm new to the area so I was searching for somewhere to get a reliable, relatively inexpensive haircut and a friend suggest Arrow to me. I have to say I was VERY impressed. I have long, thick, curly hair and sometimes it's difficult to cut, but my stylist Lauren did an AMAZING job. She was really quick too. My whole shampoo and cut was done in about 20 minutes! I just got a trim, but the cut looks great and she was able to even out some parts I had from a prior haircut that grew out strange. I didn't have the free beer because I'm not really a beer drinker but for people who do like beer it's definitely a plus! Would definitely go back and I would definitely recommend to friends! read more

I am new to the area and needed a place to get my haircut so I decided to try out Arrow. I am a picky person when it comes to my hair but this place DELIVERED!!!! My stylist Kris was super nice and personable. She double checked with me before she cut certain places and was very thorough! The atmosphere is also very nice. Overall I highly recommend Arrow!!! read more

Just moved to Raleigh this week and needed a cut before I started my new job. So I Visited arrow haircuts (Cameron Village location) this afternoon and it was a pleasant experience from the start. It seems as I got very lucky and walked in about 5pm and was seated right away. It was recommended to me to go online and make an appointment as walk in times are very rare. Only time spent waiting was enough to give me a complimentary fat tire, which was a nice touch. My barber was very friendly and personable keeping conversation the entire time. Not to mention she did a good job on my hair. Price was also very reasonable at $19. I will definitely be back to Arrow Haircuts. read more

I went to the one downtown. Awesome haircut even though she didn't know what I wanted and wasn't confident at the end she actually did a wonderful job. I love the cut and I did feel someone what rushed but it wasn't too bad. I think if they would slow down and make the customer feel more relaxed it would be a perfect experience every time. This was my first time so I cannot expect the barber to be fully confident in cutting my hair hopefully next time she will be and do the same great job. read more

I highly recommend going to Chelsea! She did a wonderful job and was very personable. This is the best place in downtown for a guys haircut.