READ MORE OF OUR “BEST OF MILWAUKEE 2025” FEATURE HERE.
Walk into Gee’s Clippers for the first time, and it’s easy to see why the barbershop has thrived for 30 years. The vibrant space decorated with sports memorabilia is full of buzzing conversation and enthusiastic laughter from customers and barbers alike. And one booming voice often rises above the others – that’s Gaulien Smith, aka Gee.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Smith opened Gee’s Clippers (2200 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.) in 1995 when he was 24. Now, his barbershop has been highlighted in The New York Times, featured on “Good Morning America,” and Gov. Tony Evers has even paid a visit.
“It’s unbelievable to think about,” Smith says. “People see the love Gee’s Clippers has for the community, how involved we are, how we’re a safe space in the community, and they know they can count on us.”
Gee’s Clippers has developed such a strong reputation because it does a lot more than cut hair. In 2020, Smith opened an adjacent Gee’s MKE Wellness Clinic, offering free health screenings and education.
“That is the single thing I’m most proud of,” says Smith, whose father died at 62 from colon cancer that was found too late to effectively treat. “I don’t want any other families to go through what my family went through. I realized that a lot of men have a better relationship with their barber than their doctor, if they even have a doctor. So why not bring the doctor to them?”
