DETROIT – A local barbershop is in the national spotlight, again.
Local 4 first reported on the Social Club Barber Shop after it sued NBA Star Lebron James for allegedly taking a concept first presented by the Barber Shop. Now they’re joining forces with another sports franchise.
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The Social Club is a very popular barber shop in Metro Detroit but they’re now taking things up a level and are entering a platform that has gained them national attention.
“About three to four months ago, we were approached with the opportunity to partner with the NFL,” said Sebastian Jackson.
It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity co-owners Sebastian and Gabby Jackson with the Social Club Barbershop said they couldn’t pass up on.
“This is definitely the biggest deal that we done," Sebastian Jackson said. "I think it’s going to take us to the next level.”
It’s a deal that has an humble beginning. They started a real life program called "Shop Talk."
"‘Shop Talk’ started as a community forum, and it transformed into a more community engagement tool,” said Sebastian Jackson.
Now, that forum is turning into a global platform. Both Sebastian and Gabby partnered up with the NFL. They will debut the program at the Superbowl in Atlanta.
“We’re having a lot of different types of people coming in and we’re able to have conversations and everyone can express their feelings freely,” said Gabby Jackson.
It’s a conversation and concept, they had to fight legally to protect, after they say NBA superstar Lebron James, tried to allegedly make his own.
“When we saw our intellectual property being infringed upon, we had no choice but to take legal action," Sebastion Jackson said. "We reached out and tried to handle it in an amicable way, but that wasn’t able to be solved that way."