Barbershop
Story by Holly A. Phillips and Photographs by Rebecca Beacham
R. Kelly booms from the overhead stereo, drowning out nearly every other noise in the small shop. Several curls of snipped hair dot the black and white checked floor, illuminated by the overhead florescent lighting.
Known as "A-Quality Barber Shop," this salon is unlike any other, according to head barber, Michael Williams, 22.
"We're the cheapest in town," he said. "And you get a quality haircut."
Located in midtown Baton Rouge on Government Street, the barbershop is nestled near Family Dollar, Variety Fashion and Time Warp boutique. According to Williams, the location works as an advantage for the business, marking Fridays and Saturdays with long waits. Since there are only four total barbers, the shop is prepared for the lengthy waits with nearly a dozen chairs, a black leather couch, stacks of magazines and a sign-in sheet for lingering patrons.
When the days get slow, however, Williams and the other barbers find themselves lost in the bustle of people outside; two of the four barbers admitted to "people watching" during long afternoons, one of the job's benefits. "Look at him; he looks like he's about to fight or something," Williams said, referring to a young boy outside the large, front window. "I'm gonna have to tell his mom."
For Williams, a Baton Rouge native, he is working his dream job. "I always did like cutting hair; you get to change people," he said. "And after all, I get to work when I want to work."
Williams said he comes to the shop at 8 a.m. before eating breakfast each day. "After breakfast, I usually cut about four or five heads, then I eat lunch, cut some more heads, and leave at six." He said the only thing he doesn't like about his job was dealing with unsatisfied customers. "Sometimes disrespectful customers will come in, knowing they won't like what we do," he said.
Most people know barber shops from the infamous comedies starring actor/rapper Ice Cube. At this particular barbershop, the old-school style is brought together with the modern. With sinks for shampooing and straight-edged razors for shaving beards, the barbershop is a tasteful glance at a masculine tradition.
Along the west wall, four black, studded chairs stand adjacent from personal mirrors, trashcans and tables. Each station is cluttered with an array of scissors, razors, shaving creams, hairsprays, powders and, of course, the infamous jars of blue sterilizing chemicals among packs of cigarettes and family photos.
In the corner of this barbershop stands a classic, retro Coca-Cola machine that serves Coke beverages, like "Crush," for a mere $.60. Although the shop seems to have all the essentials, this shop wouldn't be complete without the red, white and blue striped barber's pole, which is mounted outside the building, near the entrance.
"Hey Mike, we got a jackass on TV about to jump off a roof," yells Thayne Vital, 33, a barber and a co-worker of Williams's. Vital referred to a scene from "Real TV," which was muted in one of two televisions the shop has mounted in the corner.
After the show on the Spike Network, Williams and Vital compare features on their silver flip-phones, before retreating to the back room for a game of dominoes, a weekday ritual. The two are dressed similar, despite a lack of required uniforms at the shop. Both don white, button-up collared shirts and black shorts.
Vital has worked at the shop for two years, but has been cutting hair for nearly fourteen. He says he enjoys this barbershop the most. "I have much more freedom at this shop than I did at any of the others I've worked at," Vital said.
Williams said the barbershop caters to anyone who walks in the door and they can perform nearly any haircut or style, from flat-tops and crew cuts to brush cuts and clipper cuts. "We have people of all ages come in here," he said. "It is mostly men, but there are some women who come in and get their eyebrows done."
Unlike several barbershops in Baton Rouge and in the movies, Williams said "A- Quality Barber Shop" is not a hangout for teens, or anyone. The signs on the walls reveal all the shop's necessary details, "Walk-ins accepted, Adults: $13.00 and Children: $10.00."
According to Williams, the business for the shop is good, despite the slow days. For the barbers here, the monotony will never grow old. "We've got a good location," Williams said. "We've got good owners, good surroundings and great customers."