Barber & Books

Barber & Books is a Swedish barbershop and men's grooming brand based in Stockholm. It was founded in 2007 on Östgötagatan 21 in the Södermalm district by Håkan and Catarina Ström, who built the business around an unusual pairing: classic barbering combined with a curated selection of books [1]. Seven years later, in 2014, the company added its own line of Swedish-made grooming products, sold alongside the salon's services [3].

The brand remains active. Its physical salon continues to operate in Södermalm, and it was listed in a 2026 Stockholm barbershop guide [10]; its product range is actively stocked through Swedish retail as of 2026 [8].

The concept grew out of a trip to New York. According to the company, a visit to a small barbershop-bookstore in Harlem provided the inspiration, and the Ströms opened their own version in Stockholm in 2007 [2]. The result combines grooming services — haircuts, shaving with neck massage and warm towels — with a reading-room atmosphere, where customers can browse photography books and lifestyle literature over an espresso while they wait [2].

Håkan Ström is the founder and master barber. The company states he has more than 30 years of experience and holds a Master Barber's Certificate, and that he previously worked as a top stylist at Björn Axén and as education director at Wella [7]. Catarina Ström, a writer, moved her workspace into the shop and took on its daily operations [7]. The brand's stated values are summarised in a three-word tagline: "Artisanship · Style · Pleasure".

In 2014, Barber & Books launched a proprietary grooming range that the company describes as developed together with its barbers and what it calls some of the industry's top chemists, and manufactured in Sweden [3]. The line spans three areas — hair products, beard products and shaving products — and includes items such as the Soft Sculpting Clay, the Matte Shaping Cream, a Beard Softener, an After Shave Balm and a Pre Shave Oil.

The Soft Sculpting Clay is presented as a signature item: a soft, non-greasy clay for shaping and reshaping hair, scented with rosemary flower and citrus. The company describes the range as built on high-performance ingredients, with formulas developed in Sweden.

On its Swedish about-page, the company states that all of its products are vegan and not tested on animals [2]. This claim sits in tension with at least one product listing: the published ingredient list for the Soft Sculpting Clay includes beeswax, an animal-derived ingredient that is not vegan [6]. The discrepancy is unresolved in available sources — it may reflect a reformulation, an outdated page, or a loose use of the term — and no formal third-party certifications are disclosed. The company also says its products are made in Sweden using natural ingredients [3].

Barber & Books has been noted mainly in Swedish city guides and salon directories rather than national or international beauty press. Viewstockholm placed it seventh in its 2026 guide to the city's barbershops, describing barbers in white coats working in a 1920s-inspired setting [10]. The salon also appears in The Leading Salons of the World directory and was the subject of an article by STIM, the Swedish performing-rights organisation, on the music played in the shop. A barbershop directory records a rating of 4.6 from 69 reviews.

The brand is active and Sweden-focused. Its salon operates from Östgötagatan 21 in Södermalm, and its grooming line is stocked through Swedish retail, including the NK department stores in Stockholm and Gothenburg [8]. As of the most recent sources, the Swedish retailer Lyko listed no current stock for the brand, which may point to limited or specialist distribution rather than a wide retail presence [7]. There is evidence of some distribution in Norway, but no clear sign of a Finnish-market presence.