A groom with a view

On the second floor of the Movember Foundation’s new Toronto headquarters at 588 Richmond St. W., on the wall just behind the pool table, is an oversized image of actor Burt Reynolds, his iconic Smokey and the Bandit moustache serving as inspiration – or perhaps a challenge – for would-be moustache growers.

Reynolds was a “Mo Bro” – the name given to male participants in the Movember Foundation’s annual moustache-growing fundraiser for prostate and testicular cancer research (and, since 2013, suicide prevention and mental health initiatives) – years before the term entered the lexicon.

He is one of several prominent “Mo Bros,” a group that also includes former TSN Sportscentre hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, whose picture graces the walls of the roughly 4,500 square-foot “Movember House.”

All would likely be patrons at Movember & Co., the Movember House’s attached barbershop/retail space. Set to open early next month, it is just the second Movember & Co. store, following the opening of a store in Culver City, California approximately three years ago.

Jon Tower Akerman, a Californian who joined the Movember Foundation as director of marketing and communications earlier this year, said planning for the new space began as the organization’s lease on its former office at Queen St. and Spadina Ave. was set to expire.

According to Akerman, Movember Foundation co-founder and former CEO Adam Garone – also known as chief Mo Bro – was keen to establish a street-level presence in one of the organization’s biggest and most engaged markets (Canadians raised $17.5 million for Movember in 2015, according to figures provided by the organization).

“He’d been thinking about it for years, and a community space is something he’s always wanted,” said Akerman, a colon cancer survivor who was diagnosed at 24 and has spent the past seven years as a Mo Bro.

“I thought that there was no better place for me to spend my time,” said Akerman. “I could go and work at any lifestyle brand, but the Movember Foundation has a sense of culture and community, and is directly related to issues that affect men. I’m incredibly passionate about it.”

Akerman also boasts an impressive fundraising pedigree that includes two years as campaign director for political organizations including the League of Conservation Voters, as well as serving as a member of U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry’s west coast finance staff during the 2004 election.

His private sector experience includes a two-year stint as director of marketing and senior manager of community with Yelp in Indianapolis and San Francisco, as well as head of community growth for VarageSale in Toronto.

Movember & Co. will employ a rotating cast of what Akerman called “Mo Rated” barbers, all trained to lead conversations about both physical and mental health – another key plank of the Movember Foundation’s fundraising efforts – with patrons.

“Barbers are at the heart of how men can build relationships and talk when things get tough, so over time we want to work directly with barbers to understand that unique dynamic,” said Akerman. Barbershops are also very much “on-trend,” he added.

While the Movember Foundation’s previous office at the intersection of Queen St. and Spadina Ave. was also open to the public, Akerman said the new space is more conducive to generating year-round awareness for Movember, as opposed to just 30 days in November.

“It gives us an opportunity to make sure that people understand why we’re doing what we do,” he said. “It really speaks to the fact that we want to be open to the community around us.”