Champ’s Barber & Style Shop

I walked by this place a few times and finally decided to give it a try since I couldn’t find many other places to get a haircut in St Johns (for a reasonable price).
First impressions: They have sports memorabilia everywhere, yet nothing to watch sports on. Random chairs/​tables and a coffee station with no coffee (not that I would want any, but it could easily be replaced with a water station or something). Concrete floors — ok, easy to clean. LOTS of gun/​hunting magazines. Complete silence. If I didn’t say anything, i am sure the entire haircut would’ve been completed without a word spoken.
Like some of the other reviews on here, I decided to just go with it and hope for a decent haircut. The first thing I realized after sitting down was that the chairs didn’t swivel, and instead of looking at a mirror, you were looking out into the lifeless waiting room so you couldn’t at least monitor what was going on.
I’ve only had 1 of their barbers cut my hair, so I can’t speak for everyone there (why I am giving 2 stars instead of 1). The person who cut my hair understood what I wanted, but I knew early on that it wasn’t going to go well. When I was handed the mirror to check it out, I instantly knew that I had some work to do when I got home. This place reaffirmed that I should just get my own clippers and do the job myself from start to finish. Thankfully I had some thinning shears/​basic haircut supplies at home and had watched enough proper haircuts that I was able to bring it back to a typical ‘OK’ haircut. Might as well pay the same price or a couple $ more at somewhere like Greatclips or Supercuts and at least know you are going to get an ‘OK’ haircut from the start. Worst case scenario is you’ll be greeted, have somewhat of a conversation, and at least be able to see what they are doing. Also, this place is CASH ONLY.
I get that this strip of Lombard is old school, but the lack of professionalism and care for the ambiance ultimately led me to write this review. I would’ve loved to walk out and happily leave a great review for a great experience, but that was not the case. They could be a go-​to place for a lot of locals (willing to leave nice tips for good work) if they put in the effort to improve the setting, and give proper training to their employees to provide an ‘awesome’ haircut. I am rooting for them to improve things for the future because I see potential if they care enough, but I won’t be going back there at this point in time.

Great small town barbershop feel. have been here 7 or so times now and had great service and a great haircut each time! Usually 2 or 3 barbers working so get in pretty quickly. Justin does a great haircut.

I have been coming to Champs since I moved to Portland in December of 2013. I remember being a little intimidated. I was used to Famous Hair. This is a no frills barber shop for men. The décor looks like a basement man cave and it is generally silent. Yes! :-)
Seriously, I have received great hair cuts and the barber is always very nice. The place runs efficiently for usually being a one man show.
Why four stars? Well there are some inconveniences:
Closed on Monday
Closed for Lunch
Sometimes the one man approach is a little inconvenient. There are 4 work stations.
Cash only
Despite these inconveniences, Champs is my first choice. I would recommend this establishment overall and actually have on several occasions. Good no frills barber shop fun.

Just because the man that cuts your hair is bald does not mean that he does not know what he is doing. However, this time that was true. I moved here a few months ago. I have a great barber back home so I was apprehensive to go to someone new. I liked the casual and old school look. When I was a child I used to get my hair cut at a place that looked very similar. It was cheap and close to my house. Two of the three barbers seemed like nice people. But, the man that cut my hair exchanged a scant number of words with me. The other two barber’s cut their customer’s hair in silence as well. I figured if the haircut was good I could care less about friendly chatter. The haircut was not good. It was terrible. I waited a couple weeks to post something in the hope that it would grow out into something better than what it was. It has only gotten worse. It is uneven and the sides stick out wildly. The hair in back is much longer than the hair on my sides. In front he carved a receding hairline. I do not have one and I don’t want one. It is a total mess. This place will never see me again. Granted, after this review they probably wouldn’t want to.

Excellent place. I’ve been going here for years. They are personable and quick, and do a great job. The store is decked out in old baseball memorabilia and the tv or radio are always on. Good place to talk about what’s happening in the neighborhood.

Best place in town to get a hair cut. Excellent prices and you can get a real straight razor shave.
I like to call it the no talk shop, not a lot of noisy chatter just a bunch of guys getting their hair cut.

Went looking in my neighborhood for a good ol’ fashioned barber shop like the ones I had growing up. They were very thorough and gave me exactly what I asked for and than some, trimmed my eyebrows, lined me up, and made sure by brushing and vacuuming my head that there wasn’t a shred of hair astray on my head. Price was perfect and I’ll definitely be going back there! Thanks again guys!