About Us — Barberista | Our Story & Team

How It Started

A Barbershop That Smells Like Coffee

Barberista opened in 2017 on Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis. The idea was simple: take the two things we were already obsessed with — cutting hair and making coffee — and put them in the same room.

Marcus had been barbering for six years. Elena had spent four years behind espresso machines at specialty coffee shops around the city. They met at a pop-up market, realized they had the same taste in music and the same impatience with mediocrity, and started planning within a week.

The first version of Barberista was three chairs and a single-group La Marzocca in a 600-square-foot space on the east end of Mass Ave. Clients started coming for cuts and staying for coffee. Coffee regulars started getting haircuts. Word spread without any marketing beyond the front window.

What We Believe

Do Two Things Well

There are plenty of barbershops and plenty of coffee shops. Most of the ones that try to do both end up doing one badly. We decided early on that we would rather close than let either craft slip.

Our barbers train continuously. They know fades, they know scissors, they know how to read a face and suggest what works. Our baristas train the same way — dialing in shots, tasting every batch, understanding extraction like it matters. Because it does.

We source beans from Tinker Coffee here in Indianapolis. We use Andis and Wahl clippers maintained weekly. We stock products we actually use ourselves. Nothing on the shelf is filler.

The Team

The People Behind the Chairs & the Counter

Marcus Cole

Co-Founder & Head Barber

14 years behind the chair. Specializes in fades, classic cuts, and straight razor work. Licensed since 2011.

Elena Torres

Co-Founder & Head Barista

SCA certified. 10 years in specialty coffee. Runs the coffee program, sources beans, and trains every barista who touches the machine.

The Space

Mass Ave, Indianapolis

We are located at 742 Massachusetts Avenue, in the heart of the Mass Ave arts and cultural district. Street parking is available, and there are several public lots within a block.

The shop seats four barber stations and has a full coffee bar with seating for eight. It is small on purpose — we want every visit to feel personal, not like a factory line.

4 Barber Chairs

8 Coffee Seats

2017 Established