• What's Up Columbia!
  • Posts
  • Why This Columbia Salon + Barbershop Has Clients Driving from Nashville For a Cut

Why This Columbia Salon + Barbershop Has Clients Driving from Nashville For a Cut

Issue #581

October 11, 2025

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

⛅️ Columbia’s Friday Weather - Partly cloudy w/ high of 78, low of 46

✨ LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 👇

✂️ Why This Columbia Salon + Barbershop Has Clients Driving from Nashville For a Cut

🐎 Today: Boo Bash Horse Show at Maury County Park

🗓 List of Upcoming Events
 
🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Why This Columbia Salon + Barbershop Has Clients Driving from Nashville For a Cut

Did you know that people are regularly driving from Franklin and Nashville to get their hair cut in Columbia?

Finding the right stylist is like finding a good therapist or a great mechanic. Once you've got them, you don't care how far you have to go.

And Buffalo Co. Salon & Barber in the Columbia Arts Building is apparently worth the drive.

The shop is run by Travis Mitchell, a hair stylist with nearly 20 years of experience and a thriving location in Southern California that's been booked solid since it opened in 2017. It's the kind of place you might pass by without realizing what's inside, so we wanted to pull back the curtain and show you what makes it special.

Here's the thing: Mitchell never planned to open a shop in Columbia.

The move to Tennessee happened because his parents and brother relocated here first. When Mitchell and his family came to visit, they couldn't get over how much they loved it. "We were like, what are we doing in California?" he remembers.

So they made the move five years ago with their four kids. Mitchell was content renting a chair in Franklin, building his clientele one at a time. No big plans to open another shop. Just doing his thing.

He still goes back to his place in Temecula, California every two months to stay connected with the team there.

So how did Columbia end up with a Buffalo Co. location?

It started with a conversation at church. Mitchell's son's youth leader commented on his style one day, and the conversation turned to what his dad did for work. Mitchell's son mentioned that his dad had a salon and barbershop out in California.

The youth leader wrote his name and number on a Post-it note and handed it to Mitchell's son to give to his dad. Turns out, that man was the new owner of the Columbia Arts Building. One conversation led to another, and in January 2023, Buffalo Co. opened its second location right here in Columbia.

The Buffalo Way

Growing up in Montana, Travis was captivated by buffalo. "They're the most magnificent creature," he says. "Buffalo are the only animal that if there's a storm coming, they head for it and go through it to get to the other side."

"The people that work here and the people that come in as clients, we're all doing life together. We're all just trying to help each other through things."

It's kind of a cliché—your stylist as your therapist. But Travis has seen it play out more times than he can count. "A lot of times it is that," he admits. "And I take that from people too. They've walked me through so many things in my life."

It's not uncommon to see tears in his chair. Not from a bad haircut, but from genuine human connection. "We're both just sobbing, getting through a haircut, just doing life together."

What sets Buffalo Co. apart is that it's both a salon and a barbershop. That might not sound revolutionary, but in the hair industry, it kind of is.

Mitchell trained in technical hair cutting at a salon but had to teach himself clipper work because he was tired of going to two different places for one haircut. "Barbers often aren't trained in technical haircutting above the clipper work," he explains. "And stylists aren't often trained in clipper work."

So he learned both and built a business around that philosophy.

At Buffalo Co., you might see someone getting a skin fade at one station while another client gets a balayage color treatment at the next. The cross-training is real—barbers learn technical cutting from the stylists, and hairdressers learn clipper work from the barbers.

The Columbia location has three stylists who do cut and color for men and women, plus two barbers who specialize in men's cuts. Mitchell himself cuts men and women but doesn't do color anymore—he just loves cutting hair.

It's All in the Details

Mitchell won't pick up scissors until he knows exactly where he's going with your haircut. His consultations are intense—he wants to know what music you listen to, how many kids you have, what your daily styling routine looks like, whether you ever pull your hair back.

"I could do the most amazing haircut in the world, but if that's not realistic for that particular person, then it's good for nothing," he says.

Growth pattern. Hair texture. Styling habits. What tools you use. He's paying attention to all of it.

His advice for anyone searching for the right stylist? "Find somebody who's willing to pay attention to detail and take the time to really figure out what your needs are."

Building a Following

Mitchell's honest about the challenge of bringing a higher-end service to Columbia. Most of his personal clientele—about 80%—drives in from Franklin or Nashville, finding him through word of mouth and Instagram. 

The community is still adjusting to higher price points for haircuts, but he's playing the long game. "I see a lot of quality coming into Columbia, and I was excited to get here on the ground floor of that."

Mitchell also teaches workshops—something stylists and barbers from across the region travel for. A recent class drew 24 people from Columbia, Franklin, Nashville, and Gallatin, all eager to learn his techniques.

More Than a Haircut

Walk into Buffalo Co. and you'll pick up on something immediately. The staff actually enjoys being around each other.

"We're all family to each other, and you feel that," Mitchell says. "We don't ever have any drama or anything like that."

They goof off throughout the day. Sometimes the whole room gets involved in a conversation. It's always appropriate—Mitchell's careful about that—but it's never stiff or awkward.

"I've seen other shops where it's like, I don't want to bring kids there," he says. That's not Buffalo Co.

Some stylists offer a "no talk" service for clients who prefer silence. "That's not for me," Mitchell admits. "I like to get to know people. I like making relationships."

For nearly 20 years, he's never felt annoyed going to work. "I enjoy what I do. I'm glad that I get to do it. And that's really rare."

That joy shows up in everything at Buffalo Co. In the culture, in the attention to detail, in the way clients feel when they walk through the door.

It's what happens when you head into the storm together and come out the other side.

Buffalo Co. Salon & Barber is located in the Columbia Arts Building at 307 W 11th St. Follow them on Instagram @buffaloco.cab and book your next appointment here.

Today: Boo Bash Horse Show at Maury County Park

Get ready for some Halloween fun with a twist of horseplay at this year’s Boo Bash! Horse Show.

Hosted by the Maury County Bridle & Saddle Club in partnership with the We Love Arabian Horses Foundation, the event will take place today from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Maury County Park fairgrounds (1018 Maury County Park Drive).

Sponsored by Clovermeade Welsh Ponies, the show welcomes all breeds and riding disciplines, with a special focus on beginners. Riders can compete for prizes in several categories, including best costume, halter, and hunter/jumper divisions—making it a full day of festive, family-friendly fun.

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Saturday, October 11th

Sunday, October 12th

More Events Coming Soon!

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Saturday, October 11

The Grasskickers – Keg Springs Winery, 2–5 PM
Box of Rox – Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 3–7 PM
TBA – Buck & Board, 5–8 PM
The Def Leprechaun Band – McCreary’s, 7–9 PM
Karli & James – Puckett’s, 7:30–9 PM
Mainstreet Vinyl – The Rebel Bar & Grill, 7:30 PM
Fall Series – The Bourbon Gospel, 7:30 PM
No Fun Intended – Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8–11 PM

Sunday, October 12

The Sins – Amber Falls Winery & Cellars, 1–5 PM

Want to get your business in What’s Up Columbia? Let’s talk