The Team

Everyone you'll meet.

Barbers cut. Photographers shoot. Carmen keeps it all on schedule.

✂ Behind the Chair

The barbers.

Four chairs, four specialties. Each barber has their own lane — pick the one that fits your cut.

Leo Martinez

Owner & Master Barber
Since 2019 · Chair 1 · 1 clients served

Opened Fade & Blade after 15 years cutting at shops from Chicago to St. Louis. Leo specializes in classic cuts and straight-razor work — the stuff they don't teach in most schools anymore. Every new barber in the shop trains under him first.

✂ Cut Specialty
Straight-razor shaves, classic scissor cuts
"Sharpen the blade. Take your time. Respect the chair."
Book with Leo

Sergio Ortiz

Senior Barber
Since 2020 · Chair 2 · 1 clients served

Sergio's fades have their own fan club. Eight years in, most of his regulars have been riding with him from the start. Known for precision, relentless work ethic, and an uncanny ability to remember exactly how you like your line-up.

✂ Cut Specialty
Skin fades, tapers, line-ups
"If the line isn't crisp, we go again."
Book with Sergio

Sabrina Chen

Stylist
Since 2022 · Chair 3 · 1 clients served

Trained in LA before moving to Carbondale. Sabrina specializes in modern, textured cuts and long-hair styling — the go-to for anyone growing it out or wanting a look that's more than a standard cut. First booked when school starts each fall.

✂ Cut Specialty
Modern & textured cuts, long-hair styling
"Style should match your energy — not the other way around."
Book with Sabrina

Nora Bennett

Beard Specialist
Since 2023 · Chair 4 · 0 clients served

Nora came up in a family of barbers in San Antonio and runs the shop's beard program. Consultative approach — always asks before the first snip, patient with first-timers, and relentless about the finishing details most shops skip.

✂ Cut Specialty
Beard sculpting, hot towel shaves
"A good beard is worth the extra ten minutes."
Book with Nora
◉ Behind the Camera

The photographers.

Full-time shooters who run The Studio. Request any one of them for your Cut + Shoot combo or photo-only session — you pick who shoots you.

Keith Donovan

Lead Photographer
Since 2024

Keith shot music venues in Nashville for six years before we pulled him into the studio. Works fast in tight, moody lighting and still walks away with sharp, character-heavy frames. If you want editorial portraits that look like they belong in a magazine spread, he's your guy.

◉ Photo Specialty
Editorial & street portraits
⚙ Gear
Canon R6 · 35mm film backup
"Let the subject do the work. My job is to get out of the way."
Request Keith

Dani Rivera

Portrait Specialist
Since 2023

Dani's gift is getting real expressions out of people who hate being photographed. Warm tones, genuine smiles, candid moments between the posed ones. No stiff glamour-shot energy — just natural portraits you'll actually want to print.

◉ Photo Specialty
Candid & lifestyle
⚙ Gear
Sony A7 IV · 85mm f/1.4
"The best photos happen in the ninety seconds you forget you're being photographed."
Request Dani

Katia Morozov

Black & White Specialist
Since 2024

Born and trained in Prague. Katia shoots almost exclusively in black and white — rich contrast, classical composition, timeless. Photographers travel from neighboring states for a session with her. If you want a portrait that looks like it belongs on an album cover, book Katia.

◉ Photo Specialty
Black & white · fine art
⚙ Gear
Leica Q3 Monochrom
"Color tells you what something is. Black and white tells you what it feels like."
Request Katia
☏ Behind the Desk

The one keeping us on time.

Carmen Alvarez

Front Desk · Shop Manager
Since 2021

First face you'll see when you walk in, last one you'll see on the way out. Carmen runs the schedule, answers the phone, juggles four chairs and a studio worth of bookings, and somehow still remembers everyone's name. She grew up two blocks from the shop — knows every regular, every walk-in, every birthday. The shop genuinely doesn't function without her.

★ What she handles
Bookings, walk-ins, gift cards, product sales, the occasional therapy session
☏ Reach her
(618) 555-1234 · Tue–Sat, 9am–close
"If I can't fit you in today, I'll get you in tomorrow. We'll figure it out."
Contact the Shop