Chairs and stations for a St. George, UT barbershop expansion fit equipment financing, because they last for years; the weeks before new chairs are fully booked are a cash-flow cost that working capital or a line of credit covers.
For Washington County, Utah barbers and stylists, Tealwood Funding Group explains how a barbershop or salon funds added chairs and a suite renovation, with Washington County counts, an invented example and a checklist.
The Short Answer: Chairs on Equipment Terms, Ramp-Up on Working Capital
Two costs, two kinds of money. The chairs, stations, mirrors and shampoo units are equipment that lasts years. The ramp-up, meaning barber pay, marketing and product stock before the new chairs fill, is temporary.
Put the equipment on equipment financing and the ramp-up on working capital or a line. A build-out to add space fits a term loan.
Illustration only, invented figures: 3 chairs at $2,900 and 3 stations at $3,600 total $19,500 (our arithmetic). On a 36-month loan at an annual rate of 11.5%, the payment is about $643 a month (our arithmetic).
The first question is whether the shop has the room. Adding chairs to existing space is an equipment purchase; adding space is a build-out with permits, plumbing and possibly a lease amendment.
Shampoo bowls need plumbing and drains, and added dryers or clippers stations need circuits. Ask the landlord and the contractor what the added chairs require before ordering them.
Salon Financing Options: Suite Renovations and Chair Additions for Salon and Barbershop Owners
Salon financing options include equipment loans and leases, working capital loans, lines of credit, term loans for build-outs, and merchant cash advances against card sales. An advance is not a loan; compare its total cost before choosing it.
Suite renovations combine a build-out and equipment. Chair additions inside an existing room are equipment alone.
The salon page covers suite funding and nail salon financing as well.
A barbershop with steady card sales may be offered a merchant cash advance. Compare its total cost with a working capital loan or a line for the same amount before deciding.
Hair Salon Loans in St. George, UT for Chair Additions and Retail Product Stock
Hair salon loans for chair additions are sized to the equipment; product stock for the retail shelf is a separate, short-lived cost.
Illustration only, invented figures: if each new chair pays a barber a set $1,350 a month during an 8-week ramp-up, three chairs cost about $7,483 over that stretch (our arithmetic: 8 weeks is about 1.85 months). That is the working capital piece.
Booth-rental shops differ: renters pay the shop, so the ramp-up is unrented chairs rather than wages.
Product stock for the retail shelf turns within months; finance it on a line or pay it from sales rather than putting it on the chair loan.
How St. George, UT Salon and Barbershop Owners Compare Two Offers
Compare offers on total of payments, fees, term, collateral and personal guarantee. A short equipment loan has higher payments and lower total interest than a long one.
For the ramp-up, compare a line's interest on the drawn balance with a working capital loan's fixed payments. A line drawn only for the ramp-up weeks can cost less in interest if it is paid down promptly.
Put both offers on one sheet with their totals before deciding.
Ask whether either offer requires a personal guarantee and what collateral it takes. An equipment loan secured by the chairs is narrower than a loan with a lien on all business assets.
What Washington County, UT Figures Show About Barbers and Stylists
Washington County, UT had 67 beauty salons, 6 barber shops and 8 nail salons with paid employees in 2023, 81 in all (our sum of three codes, County Business Patterns).
Nonemployer Statistics counted 726 beauty salons, 81 barber shops and 203 nail salons without paid employees in the county in 2024, a separate program not added to the employer counts.
See the St. George, UT page for more county figures.
Barber shops are a small employer group in the county, so a request from one shop is read on its own records rather than against local averages. Bring the chair count, bookings and card deposits.
A Chair-Addition Checklist for a Washington County, UT Barbershop
- Get itemized quotes for chairs, stations and plumbing.
- Confirm with the landlord that added shampoo bowls and electrical are allowed.
- Check that each new barber holds a state license.
- Estimate the weeks until new chairs are booked.
- Price the ramp-up: pay, marketing and product stock for those weeks.
- Gather twelve months of statements and two years of returns.
Bring the list when you call (435) 269-1699.
If the expansion adds barbers on commission, check the payroll setup and workers compensation with the shop's accountant before the first new chair is filled.
By Tealwood Funding Group · Updated
