Meet Danny Matthews of Dark Rose Club/Apropos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danny Matthews.

Hi Danny, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I started working in the hospitality business in college which lead to a career in hotel management in my early to mid-20s. I found this passion while working in the hotel industry I enjoyed connecting with people and anything hospitality I enjoyed. Fast forward to getting recruited to Denver in my late 20s. During my whole time in that career, I was battling my demons with alcohol.

I ended up going to rehab and getting sober. I knew after getting sober that I couldn’t go back to the hotel or food & beverage world if I wanted to stay sober. I still wanted to stay in a job that was like hospitality but a little bit different for my health. I sort of stumbled onto the career of barbering. I figured it was like hotels but different.

I was still able to use my skills of connecting and taking care of people but in a completely different way and I got fulfillment out of the job. I worked at a shop for about a year and a half before deciding to open a spot with my friend, Ryan Williams, who helped me get started in my new career. We founded Dark Rose Club together a little over 3 years ago. We first ended up in the back of a multi-use warehouse in the RiNo area.

About 6 months later, Covid hit and it defiantly changed our business for quite some time. We didn’t have the same traffic in that area that we once did. After a year in that location, we were able to find our storefront in the Wash Park area on S. Gaylord St. Covid was still going on but the move ended up being the greatest thing for us. We have expanded from 4 chair shop to adding a 5th chair and we are open 7 days a week. After being in the hospitality industry for so long I wanted to make a space that felt very comforting and a place where anyone would feel welcome if they came in.

During the time we have been in the Wash Park location I started to get into having plants all over the shop to make it feel calming and use them as decor for the space. This led to a new business venture because it seems that I am pretty good at taking care of and maintaining plants. I started to sell plants to clients out of the shop for fun and I enjoyed it as a side hobby. I helped some clients by picking out the plants for their houses/apartments.

As the barbershop is busy and I only have so much room for my side project I started to think of potentially doing another business that involved plants. This led to me creating a brand new business called, apropos. I have been working on this project since the end of this past summer. I will be opening a boutique store in the LoHi neighborhood that is called apropos. It has evolved and isn’t just a plant store but a curated lifestyle store. I’ve always been into clothing and styling interior spaces after helping open several hotels during my past career.

Apropos is a curation of things that I think all types of people no matter their style could find something that speaks to them. It could be a houseplant or a coffee table book. Maybe a piece of wall art or a ceramic pot would go perfectly in their space. Apropos will have a constant rotation of different curated items from clothes to art to clothing. The idea is to keep minimum quantities of all items and to keep bringing in new items and styles as the months go on.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If you know me personally you will know that I like to pretend that it has been an easy road and I act like it’s not that hard of work. That is the persona I like to portray. It defiantly hasn’t been a smooth road especially when you throw the Covid lockdowns and such into the mix. Covid caused a lot of struggles but we were able to adapt to the situation and keep things going. I think it only made our business stronger in the long run.

We’ve been through a lot in just getting a business started and barely being open and surviving a pandemic wasn’t as easy as we made it seem but all of our clients were with us and supported us during the times. Now shifting to a completely different type of business in opening a retail store has been challenging as I already work a crazy schedule at the barbershop and keeping that business going.

I’ve always had a good work ethic and enjoy working too much sometimes. Opening the retail store also has been fun as it is something different from the barbershop and this other creative side that I have comes out and I enjoy putting the space together. It is something I enjoy and makes the long days worth it!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Dark Rose Club is a 5 chair barbershop located on historic S. Gaylord St. in the Wash Park neighborhood. We are a very hospitality-oriented shop. I want anyone who comes into the shop to feel welcome and to a place, they can come and relax for a bit and have a good conversation. Nowadays I feel like we live in a such fast-paced world that people don’t get an opportunity to just hang out and relax and enjoy getting a service done for them.

The shop is minimally designed with plants all over and we aren’t trying to pretend to be anyone we aren’t. I think what sets us apart is each person at the shop is unique and authentic in their service. Apropos is a “curated” lifestyle boutique that will be opening in January in the LoHi neighborhood. We will have a rotating selection of plants, pots, coffee table books, other interior goods, art, and clothing.

I am working with a lot of local artists to have a place they can feature their work at all different price points. I feel like people care about their space more now that a lot of people work remotely and I am bringing in all types of items that I think people will enjoy and hopefully, they can add to their space or their clothing selection that will be different and unique to themselves.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I feel that anytime you open a business you take a risk. You never know how it will go even if you are sure it’s going to work. Opening a barbershop is a risk because there are plenty of other good barbershops and salons here in Denver and in the surrounding areas. But I always say you never know until you try and that’s what Ryan and myself did when we opened Dark Rose Club. We took a risk and it paid off in the end.

Now that the shop has been open for a couple of years and business is going well. I decided it must be time to take another risk by opening something completely unrelated and doing a retail boutique. I had the same thoughts that I said before, you don’t know until you try and I wanted to try. I put all of myself into my work and business ventures and I hope that it shows at the end of the day I hope people come to enjoy themselves and have a unique experience at either business venture.

Contact Info:

• Website: darkroseclub.com
• Instagram: @hair.plants.coffee; @apropos.co; @darkroseclub