From touring rapper to barbershop owner, Mike Shelton's journey exemplifies the unpredictable path of entrepreneurship and the power of following your calling. When life threw him a curveball at age 34, learning that new cars wouldn't even have CD players for his music, he found himself at a crossroads. A moment of clarity on Highway 485 in Charlotte pointed him toward barber school, despite having a wife, young son, and mortgage to support.

What unfolds is a remarkable story of faith and determination. Mike shares how he went from being the only white student at the all-Black owned No Grease Barber School to opening Uptown Barber Lounge in Bentonville. Starting in the back of a house and eventually growing to an 11-chair operation, his business philosophy challenges conventional thinking about competition.

"There's more people to cut than we can handle," Mike explains, rejecting the scarcity mindset that often pits similar businesses against each other. Instead, he embraces collaboration and community-building, recognizing that when an industry thrives, everyone within it benefits. This refreshing perspective resonates throughout the conversation as he describes the barbershop as much more than a place for haircuts. It's a sanctuary where authentic connections happen.

The emotional depth of Mike's experience shines through as he recounts praying with clients, crying with grown men, and building relationships across social divides. "A barbershop will give you the pulse of what a community is like," he observes, highlighting how these spaces create neutral ground where CEOs and hourly workers become equals for 40 minutes in the chair.

Whether you're contemplating a career change, running a small business, or simply appreciate authentic storytelling, Mike's journey offers wisdom about following your passion and serving others along the way. His story reminds us that sometimes the most fulfilling path emerges when you're willing to listen to that surprising inner voice telling you to try something completely new.

Visit Uptown Barber Lounge at 502 Southwest 12th Street in Bentonville or check out uptownbarberlounge.com to experience this unique community hub for yourself.

More About this Episode

Building Community, One Haircut at a Time: Our Conversation with Uptown Barber Lounge

At the heart of every good local business lies a story, not just of profits and expansion, but of faith, grit, service, and the stubborn belief that a town is better when people truly know one another. That’s exactly what we found when we sat down with Mike Shelton from Uptown Barber Lounge, a cornerstone of Bentonville’s local business community.

Our conversation with Mike was anything but transactional. It was a deep dive into what it takes to build a thriving Bentonville barbershop, the power of faith in making big life changes, the importance of healthy competition, and the meaning of community during hard times.

Starting with Nothing but Vision

When Mike and his brother first opened Uptown Barber Lounge, there was no fancy storefront, no designer chairs, no sign of overnight success. Instead, there was a single borrowed chair in the back of someone’s house, rented for a little cash on the side.

Mike told us he doesn’t mind sharing these humble beginnings. In fact, he thinks it’s essential that people hear them.

He said, “I want to encourage people. Don’t despise a small beginning.”

That was a recurring theme in our conversation. Bentonville is growing at a staggering pace, but it’s also still the kind of place where small businesses can thrive, if they’re willing to show up consistently, serve people well, and earn trust over time.

From the back of a house, Mike moved into a tiny space at the back of a salon. Eventually, Mike and his brother leased their own storefront on “A” Street, where they built their first real presence in town. Over time, they moved to their current location on SW 12th Street, with 11 chairs, a big energy, and a reputation as one of Bentonville’s most welcoming barbershops.

Faith, Family, and Making the Leap to Bentonville

Mike wasn’t always a local. Originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas, he spent years in Charlotte, North Carolina. He told us about the moment a buddy, who worked at Walmart, flew him out to Bentonville to check out the area. It was 2015, growth was happening, but nothing like the boom we see today.

“I thought this was just such a beautiful place to raise our son,” he told us. “We prayed about it, and there was no sign telling us ‘no.’ So we moved.”

His wife, who he describes as having a huge personality, backed the decision completely even though it meant uprooting their lives, moving to a place where they only knew one other person, and taking a huge professional risk.

Faith wasn’t just a throwaway word in our conversation. It was at the center of how Mike approaches both business and life. He talked about praying on big decisions and moving forward when he felt peace about it even if the rest of the world thought it was crazy.

Bringing a Big-City Vibe to a Small Town

One of the first questions we asked was how he landed on the name Uptown Barber Lounge.

Mike told us about Charlotte’s “Uptown,” which is their version of downtown, full of skyscrapers, banking headquarters, high-end restaurants, well-dressed professionals, and a distinctly urban energy.

He wanted to bring that to Bentonville, without losing the town’s laid-back, welcoming, small-city roots.

“Let’s create an uptown. Something from a big city, but still keep it local.”

It’s an intentional blend: upscale service and a relaxed vibe, familiar Arkansas hospitality but with a nod to a bigger city’s style and expectations.

When you walk into Uptown Barber Lounge, you’ll find 11 chairs, a lot of noise (the good kind), and a community of people talking about sports, life, and everything in between. It’s an environment where you might see your neighbor in the next chair, but also rub shoulders with a Fortune 500 executive, because in the barber’s chair, everyone’s equal.

Competition? Or Community?

One of the most striking parts of our conversation was Mike’s attitude toward competition. In the hair industry, it’s common for shops to see each other as rivals, sometimes even bitter ones. But that’s not how he sees it.

“If you’re worried about another shop opening three blocks away, you’re in the wrong industry,” he told us. “There are more people to cut than we can handle.”

He believes that healthy competition actually lifts the entire industry. Better shops mean customers expect better service, and everyone levels up. He’s even had conversations with friends at other shops about barbers leaving his place to go elsewhere.

That transparency is rare. But it reflects a deep respect for people as individuals, and an understanding that customers choose their barber, not the other way around.

“At the end of the day, the barber does not choose the customer, the customer chooses the barber.”

We loved this mindset. Bentonville is growing fast. There’s no need for a scarcity mentality when the community needs more barbers, more stylists, more businesses of every kind.

A Lesson from the Pandemic: Serving the Industry

Our conversation also touched on a time that no one wants to relive, but everyone learned from: the COVID-19 shutdown.

Mike spoke candidly about the experience. One day they were cutting hair as usual, the next they were watching the governor on TV telling them they had to shut down indefinitely. There was no plan. No paycheck coming.

“We went to work one day, turned on the news that night and ... Asa Hutchinson was the governor at the time said hey, you’re done, shut down until ... we say you can go back,” he said.

But rather than just looking inward, Mike and other local shop owners, including our own Josh Saffran from The Gents Place, decided to do something about it.

They made videos (some of them hilarious) to get attention, like pretending they were training for the Olympics with local pro athletes while the barbershop was closed. But the point wasn’t just entertainment. They worked with others to raise awareness about how many personal-service professionals, barbers, nail techs, tattoo artists, were suddenly out of work, and asked people for donations to help the entire industry.

That period forged some strong bonds between businesses that, in other times, might have seen each other only as competitors. It was a reminder that Bentonville businesses can (and should) have each other’s backs.

More Than a Haircut

When we asked Mike what makes Uptown Barber Lounge special, it wasn’t the fade quality or the beard trims (though he’s proud of those too).

It was the culture.

“We're loud... we're respectful but it's definitely like an old-school type of barbershop,” he told us.

They don’t play music with explicit lyrics. They keep things respectful. But they also keep it real. You might walk in and see guys joking around one minute, and praying together the next.

Mike believes that the barbershop is a neutral space unlike almost anywhere else in society.

“It's the greatest neutral spot. I can be Christian, you can be Muslim, we can still talk.”

That sense of genuine community is a big part of Uptown’s success. And it’s why, even as Mike steps back from cutting full-time to work on other entrepreneurial projects, he’ll never completely leave the chair.

Entrepreneurship Beyond the Shop

Speaking of other projects: Mike’s also building a new career in millwork and countertops, working with local companies like Mainland Stoneworks and Stainless Innovations.

In fact, they’re the ones doing the millwork for the new Gents Place location in Bentonville. That collaboration grew directly out of the relationships Mike built behind the barber chair.

It’s a great example of what happens when you treat your work as service first, business second. You never know who you’ll meet, or where those relationships will lead.

If you’re in Bentonville and want a cut, a beard trim, or just to hang out with a good crew, you’ll find Uptown Barber Lounge at:

502 SW 12th Street, Bentonville, AR Website: UptownBarberLounge.com

They take walk-ins when they can, but strongly recommend making an appointment, especially in busy Bentonville, where everyone’s on a schedule.

What stood out most to us about our conversation with Mike wasn’t just that he runs a successful Bentonville barbershop. It was his unwavering belief that business is about people.

It’s about creating spaces where people feel at home. It’s about seeing competitors as partners in raising the industry standard. It’s about lifting up your community, even in the toughest times.

In a town growing as fast as Bentonville, those values are more important than ever. And they’re exactly why places like Uptown Barber Lounge will always have a place here.

If you ask us, that’s the kind of local business Bentonville needs more of.