Marchell Jones Jr. standing in his business Marchell’s Barbershop, at 615 Market St. in Parkersburg. The business was named the West Virginia Family-Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration's West Virginia District Office as part of National Small Business Week, which will be May 3 – 9, 2026. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG – A small local business that has been around for over 60 years is being honored for its continuing ties to the community.

Marchell’s Barbershop, at 615 Market St., was named the West Virginia Family-Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office, as part of National Small Business Week, which will take place this year from May 3 – 9, 2026.

Owner Marchell Jones Jr., who took over the business from his father Marchell Sr. back in 2018, was honored by the recognition as he has continually tried to honor what his father had done building the business while also forging his own path with it.

“I think it is amazing,” he said. “We have been serving the community for over 60 years. It is a great honor.”

Jones trained at the Modern Barber College in Houston, Texas, and worked in that area for about 10 years before coming back to Parkersburg. He returned to the area in 2018 to take over the shop and to be here for both his family and his wife Stacy’s family.

Marchell Jones Jr. at his business Marchell’s Barbershop in Parkersburg. The business was named as West Virginia Family-Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration's West Virginia District Office. The shop includes a tribute to his father, Marchell Sr., who had worked as a barber since 1951 and who served in the U.S. Army as a medic in World War II in the Pacific, serving on Okinawa. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Jones, the youngest of seven children, grew up in and around the shop, which was originally on 20th Street. He would sweep up hair, do other jobs that needed done and learned about what the business entailed. Inspired by his father’s example, Jones knew he wanted to be his own boss.

With the passing of his father about three years ago, Jones began the process of looking for a new location for the business. They moved the shop to its current location in December.

“When I came across this particular spot, I thought it was one of the best spots in Parkersburg,” he said of its proximity to the Highmark building, Government Square, the fire department, the hospital, the Blennerhassett Hotel and more.

“There is just so much opportunity down here,” Jones added. “I just thought it was perfect.”

The business is now Jones and his wife, who works the front desk as he does hair cutting and other business. When Jones started in Parkersburg he was focusing on beard care with a number of different products. He has continued that focus.

“I am probably known as one of the beard care specialists in the Parkersburg area,” Jones said. “We have grown and we still carry on with the traditional barbershop theme, but with a modern twist.

“We keep up on the modern hairstyles, have a big selection of hair and beard products, like shampoos, conditioner, shaving formulas; and we carry soy candles now. We have expanded our market further.”

As far as the future, Jones said they are looking at hiring additional barbers and expanding the business in other ways by selling barber supplies.

He has been ordering online, but he likes to have products and equipment he can touch to get a sense of how the equipment feels as he is using it and how the products feel in his hands as he uses them. He said some of the supply stores that serve this area have a small selection of barber supplies.

He said he had a hard time finding razor blades he was comfortable using.

“We are checking out different directions we can go with that,” Jones said.

Within the shop, Jones has a shelf filled with pictures and mementos of his father, his father’s military service (he served in the U.S. Army as a medic in World War II in the Pacific, serving on Okinawa), his father becoming a barber and other reminders of the original shop.

Through it all, Jones continues to be inspired by the example his father set in treating customers like family.

“I never had a client who ever said anything bad about him,” Jones said. “Everyone loved him.

“It was his sincerity. I am trying to keep that going.”

It wasn’t just about the haircut or the money to be earned, it was about making people feel good about themselves.

“A haircut can do that,” Jones said of the confidence it can give someone. “When someone leaves my shop, I want them to feel proud and I want them to feel like they can accomplish anything.”

Other times, some people just need someone to talk to and for someone to listen, which is a role he has filled for people.

“It is not always about the haircut,” Jones said. “It is being there for someone.”

Other state winners announced by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s West Virginia District Office included West Virginia Small Business Person of the Year, Madhur Bedre of Atlas Prediction Control LLC in South Charleston; West Virginia Small Business Manufacturer of the Year, Kimberly Mack of Cyclops Industries Inc. in South Charleston; West Virginia Rural Small Business of the Year, Michael Ruffing of Problem Solver’s Consultants LLC in Buckhannon; West Virginia Blue-Collar Small Business of the Year, Stephen Toth and Andrew Furbee of Blue Gold Development LLC in Fairmont; West Virginia Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year, Andrew Pintus III of Blue Mountain K-9 LLC in Morgantown; and West Virginia Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year, Stacy Roman of Roman’s Wellness Center in Morgantown.

The Small Business Person of the Year for West Virginia will be honored in Washington, D.C., May 3 at the SBA National Small Business Week Awards Ceremony. All West Virginia winners will be honored at a luncheon in Fairmont on May 6.

Contact Brett Dunlap at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com