{"id":5051,"date":"2020-10-02T20:03:25","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T20:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopchicagodev.wpenginepowered.com\/october-loop-employee-of-the-month-brady-mcneely\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T20:50:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T20:50:58","slug":"october-loop-employee-of-the-month-brady-mcneely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopchicago.com\/es\/chicago-loop-blog\/october-loop-employee-of-the-month-brady-mcneely\/","title":{"rendered":"October Loop Employee of the Month: Brady McNeely"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

5 MIN READ \u2013 Luxe Barber and Shave Lounge<\/a> was not even open one full year when COVID-19 hit Chicago, forcing shut-downs and leading to an unprecedented recession. But despite its location in the still-closed Palmer House Hilton<\/a>, the barber shop has been back open since June. Owner Brady McNeely felt a responsibility to his staff, and has found the current circumstances to be an opportunity to connect with downtown residents looking for a world-class experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can always get something good out of something bad,\u201d McNeely said. \u201cBecause people had time to sit in their houses, the people who live downtown were going out more, and they realized, maybe for the first time, that this barbershop was here. So, that part has been a blessing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNeely did not take reopening lightly. He has underlying conditions to keep in mind, and the health and safety of his staff and customers were major concerns. So he has taken many precautions: ultraviolet lights added to his heating and air conditioning system, medical grade air purifiers that clear out 1,000 square feet of air in 30 minutes, personal protective equipment provided to staff and customers, ultraviolet machines for all utensils, regular wipe-downs of all surfaces, weekly professional deep cleanings of the entire space, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a lot of things that we can do to protect ourselves and hopefully stop the spread as much as we can, but at the same time accept customers and put some money in our pocket,\u201d McNeely said. \u201cPeople still have bills they have to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, McNeely couldn\u2019t have predicted the current reality of owning his own barber shop. All he wanted when he opened Luxe Barber and Shave Lounge was to bring his ideas to life downtown. McNeely spent years cutting hair on the West Side of Chicago and western suburbs, but his career was interrupted by health issues that required daily trips to a dialysis center. Then in 2016, after a successful kidney transplant, he decided to get back into the business. He knew he wanted to work downtown, so in 2017 he began working for a friend who owned a shop there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told him initially, I\u2019m not going to be working here long because if I like it, I\u2019m going to try to open up my own place,\u201d McNeely said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in early 2018, he began that process and landed at the Palmer House Hilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI chose the Palmer House because it was the oldest running hotel in the city, a convention hotel, the second biggest hotel in the city,\u201d McNeely said. \u201cAnd from what I\u2019ve been told, I\u2019m the first African American ever able to lease or own a spot inside the Palmer House.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s certainly a coveted location, and it\u2019s a great fit: The old-world splendor of the Palmer House aligns well with McNeely\u2019s old-world philosophy on barbering and customer service. When people come to Luxe Barber and Shave Lounge, they don\u2019t just get a haircut, they get an experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I go to most traditional barber shops, it\u2019s: \u2018Come in, sit down, who\u2019s next?\u2019\u201d McNeely said. \u201cThat don\u2019t work downtown for me. When you come in, you can get bourbon in a glass [before COVID-19]. We play jazz music. When you get through with a haircut, there\u2019s a hot towel on the head, hot towel on the face, a neck massage. The chairs are the best chairs in the world; all of my customers go to sleep in my chairs. If you come in for a haircut and shave, you\u2019ll be here for an hour and a half at least. So the service we give, nobody\u2019s doing it. I\u2019ve had people from all over the world tell me if there was a top three, you\u2019re in the top three of best shaves I\u2019ve ever had. We\u2019re state of the art, but we\u2019re old world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McNeely wouldn\u2019t have it any other way: giving top-notch service to customers downtown, where he feels like he\u2019s able to learn something, and teach something, every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBarbering is not a job to me; it\u2019s the conversation, it\u2019s meeting people from all over the world, it\u2019s the knowledge I get from talking to all these people, it\u2019s the knowledge I give to these people,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I love downtown. I wouldn\u2019t want to be anyplace else. The excitement, the ambience, the people\u2014it\u2019s the epicenter of the city. If i want to see a show, I can see it. If I want any kind of food, I can get the best of it. If I need to take care of business, I know I can walk right out my door and within a block or two I\u2019m right there. If there are any clothes or anything I need, I\u2019m right there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And despite the perception some may have that the Loop is home only to national chains, McNeely said he\u2019s inspired to be part of a small business community downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe sometimes people don\u2019t see how many small businesses there are downtown, but there are a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I see a small business downtown, I know their fight, and I know their struggle, and I know what $10 or $100 means. It means a light bill being paid, or a gas bill being paid, being able to pay for advertisements, being able to put some shoes on your kids\u2019 feet. Trust me, I know, and when a customer goes in, especially if that customer is a repeat customer, they\u2019re not just a face. They become the fabric of that business. So I do try to shop small. Sometimes we small people can have big voices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos by\u00a0Organic Headshots<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know someone who works in the Loop and deserves recognition for the great work they do?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Nominate them for Loop Employee of the Month. Find more information on award selection, rules and conditions, and a full list of prizes,\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOMINATE NOW!<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

THANK YOU, COMMUNITY PARTNERS!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5 MIN READ \u2013 Luxe Barber and Shave Lounge was not even open one full year when COVID-19 hit Chicago, forcing shut-downs and leading to an unprecedented recession. But despite its location in the still-closed Palmer House Hilton, the barber shop has been back open since June. 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