BUSINESS FEATURE
Set Lopez, owner of Virtus Barber & Co., received his barber license in 2017. ( Cecilia Lenzen/Community Impact)
A barber trims a client’s beard at Virtus Barber & Co. (Courtesy Set Lopez)
Virtus Barber & Co. Lakewood veteran nds inspiration, community through hair B efore opening his barbershop, Set Lopez tried his hand at a number of trades, from bartending to nursing school to six years in didn’t let the pandemic stop him from pursuing entrepreneurship. He said he felt inspired by his father, Fidel Lopez, who “worked so hard” to immigrate his family from BY CECILIA LENZEN
SERVICE WITH STYLE Virtus Barber & Co. o ers a range of hair services. Prices vary from barber to barber. • Men’s and women’s haircuts
• Kids’ haircuts • Beard shaping • Buzzcuts • Full face shaves • Edge ups • Straight razor shaves
the U.S. Marine Corps. Now the owner of 2-year-old barbershop Virtus Barber & Co. in Lakewood, Lopez said the idea of cutting hair had never crossed his mind until Hal- loween in 2013. While cutting out a costume for the holiday, his wife, Jennifer, who works as a hairstyl- ist, noticed his artistic potential and suggested that he try hairstyling. Lopez said he laughed the idea o at rst but decided to give haircutting rather than styling a try in 2015, and he quickly “fell in love with it.” He realized that cutting hair aligned with the same customer skills and interpersonal relationships he had come to value as a bartender. “The action of cutting hair is awesome. ... You develop such an intimate relationship with your clients,” Lopez said. “I have a lot of clients that have become super close friends and con dantes.” Before opening his own shop, Lopez worked in a barbershop for a few years, then opened a salon suite in March 2020—which he was forced to close two weeks later due to COVID-19. But Lopez
Mexico to the U.S. Watching Fidel create a new life for his family motivated Lopez to also pursue business ownership. “In my moments of wondering ‘what am I going to do,’ I thought of my dad and knew I was going to pull through and it would be ne,” Lopez said. In April 2021, he opened Virtus Barber & Co. In a way, he “proved” himself to his dad, Lopez said. As far as the barbershop’s name, Lopez said he wanted something Roman that sounded nonsecular. Virtus, derived from the Latin word for man, carries connotations of manhood and valor. For Lopez, it boiled down to mean “being a good person.” While he’s open to branching out with up to three new shops in the future, Lopez is focused on what he’s curating beyond just fresh haircuts. In the shop, Lopez said he wants to create an atmosphere of “good morals and values” that would be a “cornerstone in the neighborhood.” “I wanted to provide quality service and a place for people to walk in and just want to hang out and have a beer or just say ‘hi,’” Lopez said.
Virtus Barber & Co. 6224 La Vista Drive, Dallas 972-803-6135 www.virtusbarber.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Sun.
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