Sierra Berquist and Kara Wabbel, personal and professional partners, have meshed the unique combination of an art gallery and a haircuttery, spawned by their combined passion for stickers.
Welcome to Barbara & Barbara, their Ukrainian Village business located at 1021 N. Western, that offers art and a trimming, naturally.
"Stickers ... [ our business ] all started with stickers," said Berquist, 23, who attended Fayetteville ( Ark. ) High School before dropping out in 2003, a year before she would have graduated. "We made some ingeniously absurd stickers that really led this all to happen."
Added Wabbel, 26, who graduated from Templeton ( Calif. ) High School in 2001, "We were sitting on the beach one day talking about how we always wanted to live in a warehouse space and have an art space. We both complained about how everyone talks about doing this, but nobody follows through. We called each other out and I went and found the space the next day and we signed a lease together."
At first it was just fun and games, Berquist said, "but it went way further than we were expecting it to go. People really liked what we were doing and Barbara grew up really fast."
The two also lived in their first space.
Wait. Why Barbara & Barbara?
"We were sitting around one day, making stickers, thinking of lesbian stereotypes, and the first name that comes to my mind when I think lesbian [ is ] , Barbara," Berquist said. "Two lesbians [ is ] Barbara and Barbara. And, we wanted to be able to introduce ourselves as "Hi, I'm Barbara, and this is Barbara, [ too ] ."
Their humor and wit clearly extend into their business actions.
"I'm not so great at [ the ] job thing. I'm a dreamer, so is Sierra, [ and ] day-to-day jobs kind of squelch that," Wabbel said. "I've had like 10 jobs in Chicago, none lasting more than three months. My first job was at a gangster barbershop where I learned how to use a straight razor and give tight fades and graphics. I liked learning that, but it wasn't the place I wanted to be, so there was no use staying. I [ also ] faked my way into being a sushi chef; I thought I could read a few books and pretend well enough. They [ ultimately ] paid me to leave. I really just have always wanted to work for myself."
The gallery was the perfect avenue for both.
"We offer a very alternative space for artists to show their work," Berquist said. "We really tried to create a place without all the bureaucracy that a lot of galleries have. We are commission-free, so, when a piece is sold, we give the artists an option to donate whatever percentage they choose. If they are way broke and need every penny, it's theirs to keep. It has never been about making money on the art, so I think that makes the environment lighter for all parties that are involved and [ those who ] attend our shows. We don't really know how to be art dealers anyway."
In the back of the gallery, they offer haircuts. Seriously.
"We didn't get into this endeavor to try and profit off the art, but we needed to figure our someway to support the space without us both having to have second jobs," Berquist said.
Added Wabbel: "There really aren't many places people can go to where [ the public ] can get a hip, quality haircut and not have to pay a ton of money. Also, there aren't a lot of stylists who understand queer hairstyles. You don't get a course in gender studies in cosmetology school. You learn boy's haircuts for boys, and girl's haircuts for girls. It can be a pretty conservative industry because it is so closely linked with hetero-normative mainstream style. There aren't a lot of mainstream influences on queer style. I'm trying to fill that hole."
The two started Barbara & Barbara with their sticker business about two years ago and had a warehouse space in Garfield Park. Opting for a larger location, they moved to a different location so the artists would get better exposure. They moved into their current location last March.
But the worldwide economic crisis certainly has hit them hard.
"What I've noticed is, [ many ] artists are losing their day jobs and, because of that, [ are ] spending more time on their art. A number of our friends, who previously didn't have time to submit work, now do. Our sales have pretty much remained the same. However, donations definitely declined," Berquist said.
Wabbel added: "People get excited to get a haircut for $20, but they aren't coming in on a regular basis. People who were previously going to art in science or something similar have taken a pay cut or something along those lines, and are coming to me."
Berquist admitted that the two "really couldn't afford" the current location when they acquired it, so they actually lived in the back. "At that time, we were both working other jobs. That got to be way too much work so we moved out of the back to create a space for cutting hair instead. That's when finances got a little slippery. But we are much happier not having to add the stress of second jobs on to it all."
They started doing haircuts in December 2008.
How dire is the situation for Barbara & Barbara?
"Every month we just barely make it work," Berquist said. "It can be pretty stressful when the end of the month comes around and we aren't sure if we are going to be able to have the gallery open the next month."
Added Wabbel: "Some days I would like to do something nice for myself instead of putting every penny I earn into spackle, paint, and extra rent."
They have shows booked through May, "and I really don't want to have to disappoint the artists, but if we don't get something worked out to help supplement the rent, we might not make it much further," Berquist said.
Added Wabbel: "Things change for the better or take a turn for the worse all the time. If I get five less haircuts a week I'm not making it. If I get five extra, I am feeling rich. It's really a very small margin we are making it by and it's hard to predict when the fun could end. I would like to create a gallery co-op by February to spread out expenses and workload between more people."
The stress has certainly included frustration.
"I would be very sad to have to lose what we have built in such a short time. I get a lot of satisfaction out of what we do here," Berquist said.
Here's more about Sierra Berquist ( SB ) and Kara Wabbel ( KW ) :
—Dating: About two years
—College: SB: "I traveled [ around ] the country for a while before I ended up in Chicago where I went to Harold Washington [ College ] for a bit. I then transferred to Columbia College for a bit, and then met Kara."
KW: "I went to Cal State-Monterey Bay for a year. I got a job as a server after my first year and dropped out because I had some money and thought I was a baller. Then I went to the local community college back at home. I played basketball for them, and they turned me into a lesbian. I pretended to graduate, but was like two credits short. I still didn't know what I was doing, so I went to beauty school. I went so I could have a creative trade to put myself through art school. Since then I've learned that no trade will make you enough money to fund those fancy art schools. I went to Harold Washington [ College ] for a year, and was going to transfer, but they didn't want to give me the $100,000,000 that I asked for."
—How did met: On MySpace.
—When the business was at its best: "I suppose when we first began it was at its height, simply because our overhead wasn't nearly what it is now," Berquist said. "But we have really progressed and created something worth saving at this point."
—On being partners personally and professionally: SB: "We make a pretty good duo. We are both big dreamers and we somehow manage to make our ideas become reality. Maybe even if they are a little ridiculous." KW: "Sierra is great; I love working with her and being with her. Making this our job sometimes takes the fun out of it. And sometimes it puts a strain on our relationship, but I wouldn't want to work with anyone else."
Suggestions for other couples looking to work together: SB: "Be nice to each other, even when someone picks out the wrong color paint three times in a row."
—On the LGBT community: SB: "One of our first shows we ever had, we featured queer artists or allies working with queer content. We were making it a bimonthly thing, but we started getting bombarded with so many proposals and we want to give everyone equal chance to show their work, so we haven't had a queer show in a while. The LGBT community has been very supportive of us."
—Hobbies: SB: Paper airplanes. "We have gotten so good at airplane acrobatics." Morning coffee, drawing pictures and finding new inspiration. KW: DJ queer dance parties, sometimes
—Sports: Wabbel played flag football with the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association and also played for a season with the Chicago Force.
—Favorite movie: SB: Dick Tracy; KW: American Beauty
—Favorite TV show: SB: "I don't watch TV now, but, when I was a kid, it was definitely Sesame Street and Saturday morning cartoons. That's where I got my drawing skills." KW: "I liked He-Man and She-Ra as a kid."
—Favorite food: SB: "I don't know if I have a favorite food, but, I love food that I can mix up into a big mush and [ it ] tastes better the day after. A perfect example would be left over Thanksgiving food." KW: Sushi
See barbaraandbarbaraloveyou.com/home.html .
