- The Shop...
- I've been doing hair over 50 years.
Been a barber since 1989, something like that.
It's the only shop I ever been in.
- I couldn't think of no better person.
I came up, when you go to a barber shop,
you go for not only a haircut,
knowledge, wisdom, respect, all those things.
We're not only barbers, we're here to educate people
who needs it, to advise students,
try to be the best they could be.
A positive image, that's what it's all about.
- I didn't start gettin' haircuts 'til like
my senior year of high school.
Me and my friends would basically
schedule 'em at the same time,
and it was kinda like a little social event,
a place to talk sports, talk girls, talk everything.
I have cheated on my barber, I cheated on him
at a shop that was nearby, and it was like,
legit insecurity, like worried I was going to run into him,
so I went, and the other dude cut my hair,
but it felt dirty.
There's a great significance,
the barber shop in black culture.
Sometimes it's a good place
to come get your opinions out.
So you gotta have jokes, or you gotta be prepared
to get roasted, and it's kind of intense.
I feel like it just is a culture,
but it, I mean it might vary a little bit
from shop to shop, but for the most part,
you can expect to be entertained somewhat socially
as much as you're going to get your hair cut.
- I remember when I got the whole idea to become a barber.
I was in temporary, and there was a dude named Norman,
at our school that cut hair, he didn't play basketball,
he didn't play football, nothin' like that.
He was the barber, and that's what everybody knew him for.
He's the first person I looked up to, in a different world.
I told him one day, that, like 'bruh,
you're the one who inspired me to be a barber.
I don't know where I would be at in life right now,
if it wasn't for me cutting hair,
so it's like, I kinda owe all of this to him.
- That's love right there, man.
That energy exchange is very important.
- When I grew up the barber shop is where little boys went
to basically kinda learn how to be men,
you kinda grow up in a barber shop,
I mean, you learn a lot just from sittin' and listening.
We couldn't go to say, white barber shops.
We needed that place to feel safe.
The barber shop is where men can go to be men,
away from, you know I'm sayin', the women,
and we can talk about the things
that we really want to talk about.
Whether it's women, sports, sex, cars,
you know what I mean?
You kinda get to be who you really are in a barber shop
'cause no one's here to judge.
That's what makes a barber shop fun.
You don't wanna go anywhere where
you can't have fun and you can't be yourself.
- The energy, the energy that's goin' on
inside the shop, it's very intense.
At times, it's a little intimidating,
you know, when you walk in, especially,
if you looking a little goofy, but,
once the cut was done I knew I was fresh.
- That's another reason I love being a barber,
is like, being able to give cats that confidence,
you know what I mean?
After you get a fresh cut, you know the confidence
that somebody walk outta the barber shop with,
being able to give people that?
Like, I love that, man.
- That's why a lotta cats come to the barber shop,
don't even need haircuts, they'll just
come there for that environment.
A barber shop is a place to really kinda
hone in on that, because we are a community,
and that's kinda what we're here for.
- People like to see their pictures.
I started out takin' pictures, so well kids,
so they'd give it to their parents,
'cause when I was comin' up,
I guess we couldn't afford cameras
and this and that, so I started doing it
to pass 'em out to the kids, or whoever
don't have no picture of themself when they were young.
You know, pictures hold memories,
and I like to look at 'em sometimes,
and think what I was doing at that time.
- This is actually the first barber shop I remember
being in, like everybody definitely has a barber shop,
but the way that we do,
the barber shop is completely different.
As I look around, just, it's so much that is
very unique to this space, this black space.
Everything that the barber is, they put on these walls,
and it helps attach themselves to their heritage,
but it also attaches themselves to their practice.
I think yep, this is a museum,
a gallery space within itself.
- 'Cause it does, specially the older guys,
we need to be more toward our youngsters.
I love people, if I could help anyone.
A boy, got race, creed or color, you know,
that's what it's all about to me.
It's not only our people, it's for all people.
I did women hair up until 67, I shoulda' stayed with women.
I'd probably be a little bit more wealthier now.