Traders Barber & Style

I have been going here every 3 weeks for the past 5 years. However I am still considered a newbie. She has customers that have come here for decades. One I guy I spoke to has been coming in for the past 20 years. People are loyal to her because she does an excellent job.

Nancy may not be the best at the typical barber banter — maybe that explains why she has such a huge stack of magazines — but she does great work at a very fair price. Quick, quality, and good value. For a men’s haircut not in search of the salon treatment or prices, this fits the bill.

I’ve been going to Nancy for several years. I’ve tried a few other places, but always go back to Traders. I do get a very simple haircut, and I also go to her for beard trims. It’s total old-​school, which is pretty comforting. I like that you can make an appointment, and, in my experience, she does a good job running on schedule. While she’s willing to chat, I appreciate that if you want to just sit and be quiet, she doesn’t force idle conversation. I’m always pleased with the haircut, and the price is fair.

I have been going to Traders for haircuts for about three years. Very good men’s «business» haircut for a very reasonable price. Nancy is very diligent about calling to remind you that it’s been a while and it’s time to come on in, and does well keeping on schedule.
I’ve been keeping my hair short and simple for a long time, so I don’t know how well she handles long hair, and in three years I have never seen a woman customer in the shop. So if you have a hairstyle more complicated than the basics, or are looking for a feminine style, you probably want another place. But if you want a good basic men’s haircut, Traders is for you.

Been going to her for years, she is very old school, you know you are in good hands right away. She is very precise and careful, great attention to detail.

I was unable to see my regular barber and I badly needed a professional trim. I heard good news about Nancy and she certainly delivers on her reputation. Excellent, precise work, and that neck/​shoulder massager at the end was something else!

My first haircut here was great, and the two subsequent cuts have been acceptable or OK. One of the two was probably due, in part, to the fact that I arrived about 7 minutes late and she really tries to stay on schedule allowing clients to make appointments on the half hour. The other one was probably due to the fact, in part, that the guy before me ran about 5 minutes over time…
The thing I have not liked about dealing with Nancy is that she can be very aggressive about calling you for a haircut whenever she has an opening. Do yourself a favor and dial «*67» to block your caller ID before you call her. She left 4 messages on my work voicemail in 5 days. I went for a haircut and asked her not to call anymore. Three days later she called again. I asked her not to call back. About a week later she called again. I went for my next haircut, offered to identify my number so she could scratch it off her list and very clearly explained that if she ever called me again all good will and business between us would end. She never called again.
Because the first cut was really good, I’ll keep trying with her. If she becomes more consistent, I’ll raise this review from three stars — AS LONG AS SHE NEVER EVER CALLS ME AGAIN.
[Edit] She really did take my number off her list. I’ve returned for several more haircuts. She’s good. She also tends to run on time, giving appointments every half hour on the half hour. Rare to have to wait. Bumped rating from 3 to 4 stars.

This would be six stars if Unilocal allowed it.
In 1996 and 1997, I worked for a company in 311 S. Wacker. One day, before going to see a client, I knew that I needed a haircut. At the time, I was usually going to Regis in a mall and getting bad haircuts half of the time and mediocre ones the rest of the time. Walking through the lobby, I saw Traders and figured, «It’s in the Loop, that’s a $ 40 haircut.» But I was desperate, so I walked in. At the time, Nancy was still new to the building, I guess, and you could walk in and get a haircut without a long wait. She cut my hair, it was under $ 20 and my wife told me never to go anywhere else.
When I left that company and started working in the suburbs, I would make arrangements to work in my new employer’s office in 311 every four or five weeks just so I could get a haircut. I will still take the train or drive downtown on a work day just for a haircut. Nancy is that good.
You need an appointment now (she will take walk-​ins, but her calendar is usually very full, so walking in and getting a haircut is more like a chance thing) and sometimes you need to make that appointment a couple days in advance. The haircut will take (for me at least) about 30 minutes. I don’t know if Nancy ever takes a vacation or a day off. She’ll come in early for someone who needs a haircut before 8 and stay late for someone who can only come in after work.
The haircuts are still around $ 20 and I tip heavily. Never done that for any barber in the past.

If you’re a guy who works downtown and likes an old-​school barber cut for your hair, Traders is a great place to go. It’s in the SE corridor of the 311 S Wacker building — closest to the entrance by Franklin and VanBuren.
Nancy is the barber there, and she’s not an old Navy guy like a lot of great barbers used to be, but she’s got the technique and style down.
Scissor-​cut hair, a straight-​razor with hot shaving cream to shave the nape of your neck, plenty of reading material in the waiting area (not that you’ll be waiting long if you call ahead), and then a quick shoulder massage before sending you on your way. Appointments are preferred, but not required.
She charges about 50% more than Supercuts, but 50% or less than a «stylist» charges. You can pick up any hair product you need, too, and around Christmas time she’ll send you on your way with a sample-​sized gift of some sort of hair product.