Chris Taylor remembers the day he decided to open his own barbershop – Sinister Blades Barber Company. At that point, only three things remained to be determined: Where it should be located, when he should open it, and what it should look like.

Where to open it was easy for Taylor, who grew up in East Falls. “Even though my wife and I now live in Fox Chase, I chose Roxborough as the location for my shop because I wanted to come back to my roots and be close to family and friends. So I opened it at 5233 Ridge Avenue."

With his fascination for most things other-worldly, the “when” was an easy decision, too. “I opened the shop on October 21, 2020, for two reasons. First of all, I think the month of October is the scariest month of the year. Think about Halloween and all the weird things that happen around that time. And 2020 was the worst, most horrifying year we've ever been through. So the timing was perfect.”

“I opened the shop on October 21, 2020, for two reasons. First of all, the month of October is the scariest month of the year. And 2020 was the worst, most horrifying year we've ever been through. So the timing was perfect.”

The hardest part for Taylor to decide was what his barbershop should look like. At first he thought it should look like every other barbershop. But his friends had other ideas. “My friends think I'm weird, and I agree with them,” he said. “So I eventually decided to make my shop weird, too... just like me.”

To begin with, his shop welcomes you in by displaying a large Grim Reaper holding a razor instead of a scythe on the huge picture window. Once inside the Sinister Blades’ black-painted walls, you can marvel at the framed bat on the wall, a large skeleton who sits in a chair waiting his turn, an interesting Ouija board about to tell your future, and much more.

And then there's Taylor, waiting for his human clients to tell him what haircut they'd like. “I don't try to push them into any particular style. I just want to make them happy, giving them any kind of haircut they ask for. My work also gives me the opportunity to meet all kinds of people. And I've never seen my clients as dollar signs, but more as family."

“I don't try to push [my clients] into any particular style. I just want to make them happy... I've never seen my clients as dollar signs, but more as family."

Whenever Taylor's not styling hair, he's into making others happy, too – by helping them contact their dead relatives. “I'm into paranormal investigation, an interest that started when I was just a young boy,” he explains.

“When I was about seven, I was visiting my grandparents who had a house in the Poconos.  One night, while everyone was sleeping, I began to wander around and ended up in the old kitchen. And suddenly I saw a shadowy figure pacing back and forth for about ten seconds. And then it was gone.”

Taylor did not get to the bottom of that experience until about two years ago, when his grandfather finally explained to him about a death that occurred in that house. “And that was the beginning of my real interest in the paranormal,” Taylor says. “That’s when I formed my own paranormal group with my wife Devon and some friends. It's called Philadelphia Area Paranormal Investigations (PAPI). And although we've visited haunted places like Pennhurst, our main goal is to help people make contact with their loved ones.”

"I formed my own paranormal group with my wife Devon and some friends. It's called Philadelphia Area Paranormal Investigations. Our main goal is to help people make contact with their loved ones.”

Without mentioning names, Taylor recalls an investigation for a woman who had lost her mom, dad and husband. Using a “spirit box” that allows ghostly voices to come through, Taylor was able to reach the men but not the mother – until the group was about to leave. “And that's when the mother reached out to tell her daughter, 'I love you, honey.' So that was a great night for everyone."

Sinister Blades Website

Address:

5233 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA  19128

Phone:

267-225-6629

Hours: 

Tues - Fri: 10am - 6pm

Sat: 9am - 4pm

Sun - Mon: Closed