More about us…
Dina Kales
Founder
I have dedicated almost 20 years to mastering the art of non-surgical hair restoration.
My expertise are rooted in years of training, combined with an insatiable curiosity, mixed in with a streak of perfectionism, and an added helping of creativity.
Hair wasn’t always my calling. After flunking out of college, with no career prospects in sight and no clue as to what I wanted to be when “I grew up” my mother urged me to apply to our local beauty school.
I had never thought about hairdressing as a career, or fussed much with my own hair for that matter, but as a means to an end I signed up for a cosmetology degree.
To my surprise figuring out the mechanics of hair captured my interest enough to pursue hair cutting as a profession. I also fell in love with the industry; it was fun, creative, always something new to learn and most importantly, my work made others feel good.
Having completed my apprentice training at John Frieda’s New York City location, I was eventually chosen by celebrity hairstylist Juan Carlos Maciques to be his personal assistant. During that time, I built a strong hair cutting and styling foundation.
Assisting provided me the opportunity to learn from the best in the industry but it also cultivated in me a customer centric approach; which I eventually applied to all my client interactions.
Some of my career highlights to follow were, working for hair cutting designer extraordinaire Brian Pickston, freelancing as a personal hair stylist to Canadian-Belgian singer Lara Fabian, and working as a barber for SUNY Maritime College (acquiring two semesters of sea time in the process, which I’m actually really proud of) and where I began to specialize in men’s hair.
Years in, somewhere between working full-time and searching for my life’s purpose, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Armed with that piece of paper I came to the realization that no classroom would ever teach me what standing behind a chair had taught me so far. Ultimately it solidified my true passion for this industry.
I decided to specialize in non-surgical hair restoration after falling in love with the creative process involved. Hair replacement is meaningful and important, the work is gratifying and it truly changes lives. From a self-serving perspective, this profession has been extremely rewarding, way more than I had anticipated on my first day of beauty school.
John
John is a licensed barber, self-taught painter and talented muralist. Starting in high school, John began to develop an interest in cutting hair. Beginning with self-haircuts and progressing to real clients in the form of volunteer college friends and family, what started as a hobby would ultimately turn into his current career and passion.
After college and encouraged by his longtime barber Daniel, John decided to study the skill of barbering professionally and enrolled full-time at the American Barber Institute in NYC.
While in barber school, John cultivated his training at a West Village Barbershop, and spent his weekends shadowing and polishing his skills at his childhood barbershop.
John joined The Top Shoppe family in 2022 after his initial acquaintance with Dina Kales client side and we have not looked back since.
As an invaluable member of the team, John has incorporated his perfectionism and efficiency to the world of hair. As a true artist with a trained eye for details, his years of art experience are showcased in his fades and blends.
John has enjoyed building bonds with The Top Shoppe clients while helping them gain confidence through trust and professionalism. Doing hair is not just a creative outlet for John, but a way to help others feel at ease and comfortable with the process.
Adding to John’s list of accomplishments as an artist, he has collaborated with Bloomingdales, Visa, and the Barclays Center on various projects. In 2023, John was crowned NYC art battle champion in speed painting, finishing near the top in the National Finals.
The Top Shoppe
After devoting many years of my career to the hair restoration industry, the need to create a business model that would reflect my inner workings became apparent with time.
Although I loved the work itself, I wanted to have complete control of our guests experience, offer top of the line products and have total transparency in all my professional interactions. The Top Shoppe developed organically, and with time and much love it has grown into a venture I feel proud to call my own.