JoeyCuts 180V

JoeyCuts 180V is a Black-owned barbershop at 18th and Vine in Kansas City’s historic jazz district, founded and operated by KC-native Joey Thomas — a two-time national award–winning barber, nonprofit founder, and 18-year community institution whose Fresh Cut Fresh Start program has put 1,500+ free haircuts on young men preparing for the school year.

Description

JoeyCuts 180V is a barbershop located at 1805 Vine St in Kansas City’s 18th and Vine jazz district, owned and operated by Joey Thomas.¹ Thomas is a lifelong Kansas City resident whose family has deep roots in the 18th and Vine neighborhood — his great-grandfather was a prominent preacher in the area, and his childhood memories of the neighborhood are woven into the shop’s identity.² Thomas grew up in Kansas City, attended barber school locally, and completed his early career at Leenaj Barber Salon at 75th and Prospect before striking out on his own.²

Thomas opened his first barbershop, JoeyCuts, at 39th and Indiana in 2008, in a zip code (64130) that at the time carried the highest combined crime, murder, and prison rate in the state of Missouri.² He described the choice as intentional: he saw the barbershop as a way to make connections with the community, operating “out of love” and aiming to create change “one head at a time.”² After just two years in operation, the shop won Steve Harvey’s Hoodie Award (now known as the Neighborhood Award) for best barbershop in the nation in 2010.²³

In 2014, Thomas expanded to 18th and Vine Street — a neighborhood he had researched as a student and whose history he knows intimately — opening 180V Barber Salon, a name that references the address.² The shop has grown into one of the neighborhood’s commercial anchors, and Thomas serves on the boards of the 18th and Vine Development Policy Committee, Community Action Agency, and KC Credit Union.²

Ownership and history

Joey Thomas grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. His family’s connection to the 18th and Vine neighborhood predates his ownership by generations — his great-grandparents’ home was a community gathering place known as “Big Momma’s House,” and his great-grandfather was a prominent preacher in the district.² Thomas studied at barber school in Kansas City, graduating and working for several years at Leenaj Barber Salon before opening his own shop.

Year	Event
2007	Co-founded Know Joey Foundation (nonprofit) with friends
2008	Opened JoeyCuts Barber Salon, 39th & Indiana, Kansas City
2010	Won Steve Harvey Hoodie Award — Best Barbershop in the Nation
2008–present	Fresh Cut Fresh Start program: annual free haircuts + school supplies for KC youth
2014	Expanded to open 180V Barber Salon, 1805 Vine St (18th & Vine district)
2025	KCUR coverage of 18th annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway (1,000 turkeys)

Thomas is the co-founder and executive director of the Know Joey Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports at-risk youth with education and entrepreneurial development.² The Fresh Cut Fresh Start program, launched in 2008, provides free haircuts and school supplies to young men in grades K–12; as of 2022 it had delivered over 1,500 free haircuts.³ Thomas also runs an annual Thanksgiving giveaway; as of 2025 the goal was 1,000 turkeys.⁴

Links

• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/joeycuts-180v-kansas-city
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/180VBarberSalon/
• Know Joey Foundation: https://barkmediaco.com/articles/2021/02/operating-through-empathy-barbershop-owner-creates-community-change-one-head-at-a-time/

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. Yelp — JoeyCuts 180V (updated June 2025), https://www.yelp.com/biz/joeycuts-180v-kansas-city — Asserts: address 1805 Vine St, Kansas City, MO 64108; hours Tue–Fri 9:00am–6:30pm, Sat 8:00am–5:00pm; active operating status. ↩

2. Bark Media / B The Change — “Operating Through Empathy: Barbershop Owner Creates Community Change, One Head at a Time” (Feb 2021), https://barkmediaco.com/articles/2021/02/operating-through-empathy-barbershop-owner-creates-community-change-one-head-at-a-time/ — Asserts: Joey Thomas grew up in Kansas City; family roots at 18th & Vine (great-grandfather a preacher, “Big Momma’s House”); attended barber school in KC; worked at Leenaj Barber Salon (75th & Prospect); opened JoeyCuts at 39th & Indiana in 2008 in 64130 zip code; opened 180V at 18th & Vine in 2014; won Steve Harvey Hoodie Award 2010; co-founded Know Joey Foundation 2007; serves on 18th & Vine Development Policy Committee, Community Action Agency, KC Credit Union boards. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

3. KCUR — “For 14 years, this Kansas City barber has been helping hundreds of kids get ready for school” (Aug 21, 2022), https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-21/kansas-city-barber-gives-free-haircuts-for-first-day-of-school — Asserts: Fresh Cut Fresh Start program running 14 years as of 2022; over 1,500 free haircuts delivered; first event served 27 children; program includes school supplies. ↩ ↩²

4. KCUR — “A Kansas City barber hopes to give away 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys” (Nov 21, 2025), https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-11-21/a-kansas-city-barber-hopes-to-give-away-1-000-thanksgiving-turkeys-need-is-up-but-donations-are-down — Asserts: Thomas running 18th annual Thanksgiving giveaway in 2025; goal of 1,000 turkeys. ↩