New barbershop to open up at Walper Hotel

The Walper Barbershop, nestled in the Queen Street South block of the building, is set to close by the end of May.

Another barbershop is set to open up in the Walper Hotel on Queen Street in Kitchener.

This comes in the months following the departure of longtime tenant The Walper Hotel Barbershop, which was given its notice back in March. It had been in business for over 125 years.

The hotel has been owned by Perimeter Development Corp. since 2013. The company says it took the space back just as easily as the barbers could have left on their month-to-month lease.

“Despite past inquiry, (they) have never expressed a desire to re-position and upgrade their shop or enter into a longer term arrangement,” the company said in a statement in April.

But the barbershop said it was never given the chance.

Now, it turns out that a new barbershop will be moving in to fill the void.

Owned by Spearhead Barber and Supply, the new shop will pay homage to the hotel’s founder, Abel Walper.

“Although remaining under the Spearhead umbrella, this location will be branded separately from the original shop, as the rich history and cultural roots of the Walper property play an integral role in the brand narrative of our new space,” an Instagram post reads in part.

The company promises updates in the coming week, not elaborating on its opening date.

The Walper Hotel Barbershop had until the end of May to vacate.