DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich.— A ribbon-cutting ceremony June 22 marked the grand opening of a new Army & Air Force Exchange Service barbershop at the Detroit Arsenal, returning a convenience to the installation that had been absent for more than 20 years.
Brig. Gen. Beth Behn, commanding general of the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, Command Sgt. Maj. Kofie Primus, and Garrison Manager Bill Cole attended the event. Behn had the honor of receiving the first haircut following the grand opening.
The facility's opening is part of a broader, ongoing initiative to improve the quality of life for service members and civilian employees on the installation.
“All the work that’s going on at the Arsenal, to repave parking lots, to add food venues, to get the barbershop up ... I am so proud of our MWR team and all the things they are doing to bring back that sense of vitality on the Arsenal,” Behn said.
“We are excited for the tremendous support we have received from our local AAFES team in providing this additional service to the installation,” Cole said. “We greatly appreciate their willingness to support and advance Quality of Life initiatives on the installation.”
Behn highlighted several ongoing projects aimed at revitalizing the base environment.
“We are making good strides in making food available. We are also doing some quality of life improvements with picnic tables and gazebos, and areas where people can do work, or socialize, and have access to food," Behn said. "This barbershop is another step.”
Future plans for the installation include adding a drop-off service for dry cleaning, uniform alterations, and potentially a kiosk for patches and uniform basics. Behn noted that these additions are crucial for personnel stationed at the Arsenal.
“Being a uniformed person assigned to the Detroit Arsenal is not like being assigned to a larger installation where you have thousands of people wearing uniforms and all the amenities there for them,” Behn said. “We are trying to identify things that put our service members at a disadvantage but make for a unique and sometimes more challenging experience, whether it's Tricare Prime Remote, or finding someone familiar with Army alterations.”
The barbershop is currently open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. At this time, it operates on a walk-in basis only and payments are restricted to credit cards.
The shop is already seeing steady business, serving approximately 25 customers during its soft opening last week. Katy Carter, director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, noted that the facility has the capability to open another station if demand dictates.
“For now, it's walk-ins only. We will see how it goes," Carter said. "As it grows, we will see if we need a second counter or a helper. That is to be determined.”
The barbershop is just one of several wins stemming from the partnership between MWR and AAFES. A newly opened smoothie bar in the basement is reportedly doing very well, and a second location is slated to open soon in Building 200. Additionally, food accessibility has been streamlined with the successful implementation of the Chow Now app, which has been turning around food orders in as little as 11 minutes.
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