From a 1, 2… to a WUN TWO!

  By the time I was 11, I clearly understood the impact a barbershop and a barber could have on someone. I knew that a barbershop’s energy could be life-changing - especially for a kid looking for direction and inspiration. In NE PDX, Los and Angel were my go-to barbers and many times they were my go-to clipper counselors helping me figure out life. I was a regular at their shops where the vibe was always welcoming, the advice was always free and my cut was always fresh and clean.

 At 14 we moved to SE PDX and the bus commute, the wait time for the cut and the cost were all too much. One day, I had money in my pocket from my mom to go get a haircut and I decided to not get on the bus and deal with that long day again. I walked into a barbershop near my new house hoping to find a place to get a nice cut but, I was not impressed with the vibe or the work being done by the barbers so, so I decided not to get a cut in there. Instead, I used the money to buy a set of clippers and give myself a haircut. With twenty dollars in my pocket, I could buy cheap, off-brand clippers with ONLY a 1 and a 2 hair clipper guard in the box. On that day, I found out that Los and Angel were also my clipper coaches and they had taught me a lot. I gave myself a cut with just those two guards.

 When I walked the halls at school the next day, my haircut was getting looks and it created a buzz around the school after students found out that I cut it myself. I got asked to cut other students’ hair but, I had a limited set of tools for my new business venture. With that cheap clipper set, I could only offer 3 cut options for my clients - an all-over with a 1 or a 2; a 1 fade; or a 2 fade. I didn’t let that keep me from giving my customers a nice haircut and leaving my “shop” looking good. That cheap clipper set that only had two guards is no longer around but, the impact and inspiration it had on me IS always present and will never be forgotten!

 From a 1, 2…to a WUN TWO