“I think it will be successful because we listen to what people want,” Mrdeza said. “We don’t just hear them and then do what we want.”

Wedged in between other commercial spots above Noodles & Company, 205 E. Grand River Ave., Grand River Barber Company opened in late August. Mrdeza operates the shop with two of his friends, Grant and Nick Foley.

So far, he said, business has tripled this winter.

Haslett, Mich. resident Omar Karim calls the Grand River Barber Company his barbershop of choice. He said the shop offers email coupons and deals for students with identification.

“It’s modern and it’s unique to the area for the fact that it caters more towards stylized hair,” Karim said. “They do have more of a younger vibe, younger aesthetic, so it would be a lot more attractive to MSU students, especially those who want to have higher quality haircuts as opposed to military cuts. “

Although their client base continues to grow, the local competitors were not concerned with the potential competition. Campus Barbers Inc., 621 E. Grand River Ave., employee Richard Hall said the shop maintains a reliable set of clients.

“We’ve done some repairs already on their work,” Hall said. “We have professors, community members and students. We get a balance of young and old.”

Mrdeza said Grand River Barber Company focuses mainly on current trends and what is most popular, which sets them apart from local competition.

He said the ultimate goal is community involvement.

“We want our customers to be happy and we look forward to staying in this community for a long time so we’d like to get to know everybody and grow with them,” he said.