On September 1, 2015, Jessie Anderson opened Big Bro’s Barbershop for business on a budget of roughly nine thousand dollars, all crowdfunded from community members. In exchange, he had promised a brick-and-mortar space dedicated to the wellness of the trans community, created by a member of the trans community. Big Bro’s Barbershop would be a place where trans people could receive hair services without hassle, purchase gender-affirming products that are rarely available on store shelves, and have access to resources that are often difficult to find or afford.
The initial, trial-run location of Big Bro’s Barbershop was a 300ft² windowless art studio in an industrial Franklin Street warehouse. Clients would ring a doorbell on a discreet sign hung on the front gate, and Anderson would run downstairs to escort his guests up to the shop. However, this original location was surprisingly well-received – queer folks in Vancouver were hardly strangers to community events and resources being hosted in odd affordable corners of Canada’s most expensive city.
Seven months later, after winning Best Emerging Entrepreneur at the Small Business BC Awards, Big Bro’s Barbershop was relocated to a larger, brighter, 800ft² storefront, where the business would continue to grow for another eight years. As further awards and recognition were received and a few employees were brought in, Big Bro’s began to truly establish itself as an institution of Vancouver’s trans community. Not only did the shop establish a long-term partnership with independent queer hairdresser and artist Zed Payne–who began renting the rear half of the shop in 2016–but Big Bro’s also collaborated with several other organizations, including (but not limited to):
- Bakau Consulting
- BC Children’s Hospital
- Big Joy Barber & Salon
- The Birdhouse
- The Body Politik
- Clarico Electrolysis
- Coquitlam Express Hockey Club
- Cross & Crows Books
- Health Initiative for Men
- Jericho Beach Kayak
- Mission Possible
- Options for Sexual Health
- PACE Society
- Pacific Community Resources Society (PCRS)
- Qmunity
- Radical Access Mapping Project (RAMP)
- Raincity Housing
- Small Business BC
- UBC Commerce Undergraduate Society
- Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA)
- Vancouver’s Vancouver Trans, Two-Spirit, Genderqueer, Intersex Liberation & Celebration March
- Vancity Credit Union
- Vancouver Coastal Health
- Vancouver International Burlesque Festival (VIBF)
- Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF)
- Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW)
- ZeeZee Theatre
In 2024, Big Bro’s Barbershop underwent a hefty renovation and a final relocation to its current location at 2375 E Broadway. Now with a team of six staff members and two additional chair renters, Big Bro’s has landed in a large, visible location designed from the ground up to meet the needs of its workers and clients. After nearly a decade of operating, Big Bro’s Barbershop remains one of the most visibly by-trans-for-trans spaces in the Lower Mainland.
More questions about Big Bro’s Barbershop? Check our FAQ!
More questions about the owner? Check out JessieAnderson.com!