It all started with a few bad haircuts at the hands of his loving mother, and a decision to see if he could get a job at the local barbershop sweeping up. The job worked out just fine and then-11-year-old Patrick Bidinost was able to get the barber to throw in few free haircuts as part of the deal.
Since then he has constantly been on the go in a labor of love that has led to Bidinost having his own shop for nearly 14 years. The last seven of those have been spent at 1732 Union St., a location putting Patrick’s right along the boundary between Niskayuna and Schenectady.
I started out with a small shop and a couple hundred dollars in my pocket, said Bidinost. `The business has been building ever since. It has grown so much that seven years ago I moved to this location so I could get some more space and better serve our customers.
`I grew up in Rotterdam so I’ve been in this area my whole life, and I know the people,` he said. `This is something I have always wanted to do and we’ve really come a long way from when it started. I’m even a master barber so I have been able to help 11 other guys become barbers and some of them have set up their own shops as well.`
Along with cutting hair, Bidinost believes in innovation, and he’s put years of hands-on experience to work in developing his own line of hair-care products. Going under the label Patrick: Grooming Products for Today’s Man, the line includes gels, a shampoo with conditioner and finishing spray.
`My new line of hair-care products was made for real people, using feedback from real customers in a real salon setting,` he said. `I’ve made changes in the products after listening to what my clients have to say and how they react to the gels and shampoo.
`The different gels appeal to men at different age groups depending on how they want their hair,` said Bidinost. `It gives men control over how they look and what’s best for them.`
Dan Curran, a local Niskayuna resident who has been using the barbershop for years, said the distinctive look of the place is what first drew his attention.
`The purple neon and the look really got my attention and once you come in, they really make you feel at home,` Curran said. `I’ve been using the light hold product he has, I think it’s called the Z-Gel, for a few months and I really like it.“
