Original Post:
The Art of Manliness
Once again we return to our
So You Want My Job
series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable jobs
and ask them about the reality of their work and for advice on how men
can live their dream.
Given our
great love for barbershops,
I can’t believe it’s taken this long to interview a barber for our So
You Want My Job series. But better late than never! A barber finally
stepped up and volunteered to answer our questions, and we thank him for
that. He’s really a perfect interview subject for this installment.
Drew Danburry was a
touring musician
and decided to give up the road to become a barber. A younger guy in a
graying industry, he just recently completed barber college and opened
up his own shop in Provo, Utah, the
Danburry Barber Shop.
And he’s a guy who’s trying to revive the old fashioned barbershop
experience of yesteryear, with great haircuts, a handsome shop, and of
course, good old fashioned straight razor shaves.
I’ve always had a dream of making my second act in life that of a
barber. And this interview only strengthened that conviction. What an
awesome job.
If you’re in the Provo area, go
pay Drew a visit and tell him Brett sent ya!
1. Tell us a little about yourself (Where are you from? How old are you? Describe your job and how long you’ve been at it, etc).
My name is Drew Danburry. I grew up in Huntington Beach, California.
I’m 31 years old, and I have been a barber for about 6 months now,
today. I opened an old fashioned barbershop in downtown Provo, Utah very
recently, and I love it.
2. Why did you want to become a barber? When did you know it was what you wanted to do?
To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would like it. But I wanted to try and
find a career that I wouldn’t hate. Something I could support a family
with and I wouldn’t feel stuck in a rut with my life decisions. After a
few months, I knew I’d love it. It’s the best thing ever because I offer
services no one else in the area does and I end up hanging out with
friends all day long. I cut hair and make people look just the way they
want, and I get to meet new people all the time. It’s fun, creative, and
I like feeling satisfied with my work. I’m pretty good at it, and I
like being able to offer something that brings happiness to other
people.
3. How does a man become a barber? You chose to go to barber
school instead of a cosmetology school. Why did you make that choice?
Short answer: I went to barber school because I wanted to get the
kind of instruction and experience that would prepare me for cutting the
kind of hair that was cut both currently and way back in the day. I was
taught by people who have been cutting hair for over 50 years, who went
to barber school when they were my age (and younger). I specifically
wanted to learn the dying art of classic barbering. I cut and shaved
over 1,000 clients when I was in school, and I can cut any kind of
hairstyle any person wants. Male or female.
Long answer: With the huge influence the Beatles and the hippie
movement had on men growing their hair long in the 60s, rather than
military short, the popularity of barbers decreased considerably.
Barbering and cosmetology had originally been two different licenses.
Barbers focused on cutting men’s hair and doing hot lather shaves for
businessmen, rather than perming and dying long hair. But by the time
the 70s rolled around, barbers and their style of haircutting had waned
so much in popularity that most state licensing departments just decided
to combine the two separate licenses. Also, because barbers weren’t as
popular, and a lot of people were wanting to learn how to dye and perm
hair, less people were attending barber schools and going to cosmetology
school instead. It wasn’t until just a few years ago in the state of
Utah that they even separated the licenses again and a barber school was
started to teach the art of barbering. The old-fashioned way. How to
cut men’s hair. How to shave with a straight blade.
Honestly, it’s a bit hard to explain all the differences because I
never went to cosmetology school, but they seem to be completely
different. Girls I meet that went to cosmetology school have a very
different way of cutting hair than I do.
Some cosmetology schools teach some of the barbering techniques, like
the straight razor shave, but most students at cosmetology school as
well as their instructors have never actually shaved someone, and if
they have, they haven’t done it often, on a daily basis. At the barber
school I attended, not only were the instructors experienced, but we
were given plenty of practice shaving and cutting hair. One thing I do
to stay in practice, is to shave myself with a straight razor often,
which is a lot harder than shaving someone else, and follow up each
haircut by shaving the neck with a straight blade.
5. Once a barber has the necessary schooling and credentials,
what is his next step? Is it possible to open up your own shop right
out of school, or do most barbers first spend time renting a chair at
someone else’s shop?
Most people spend their time renting a chair at someone else’s shop.
But I wanted to open my own shop, so I did. It’s a lot of work, and an
investment is required, but if you want to have your own space and not
have to deal with a boss, it’s the way to go. There are a lot of laws
and health codes you have to be aware of; thankfully, the school I went
to had all the answers to the questions I asked, so by the time I was
graduating from school, I was already finished with my state exams and
busy getting the shop set up. When you decide to go with renting a chair
in someone’s shop, it can be more frustrating because you’re under
someone else’s roof, under their rules. You can be building clientele
and saving money at the same time, and opening your own shop is more of a
gamble, BUT really it’s a matter of what a person wants and is willing
to risk.
6. How hard is it to open your own shop? What does a man need and need to know if he wants to do it?
Opening your own barbershop is a lot like opening any other business.
You need a barber license, you need insurance, you need to be legally
covered to cut hair and shave faces. You need to know what you’re doing,
in terms of cutting hair, you need to know how to get the word out, and
I think you need to be patient. Because when you first open, you do a
lot of sitting. I generally spend any free time promoting online or
making sure that the barbershop has an online presence. That Google and
Yelp register its existence. I offer a lot of free services to people
who’ve never had a shave or a haircut by a barber. It’s an experience
every man should have, and if they haven’t, I want them to at least know
what they are missing out on. Pretty much everybody who’s sat in my
chair is very excited to come back.
Basically: Treat others as you’d like to be treated. Give people the
kind of quality haircut and service they expect. And let word of mouth
take care of the rest.
7. What is the best part of your job?
Hanging out with great people. Listening to music and talking with
friends. It really is like hanging out with friends all day long. The
only difference is that I happen to be cutting their hair while we talk.
Which is cool, because the client and I both get excited when I give
them a haircut they love.
8. What is the worst part of your job?
I don’t know just yet…the great thing about offering high quality
service is that if someone doesn’t appreciate the value of what you are
giving them, they don’t come back. I do a good job with everyone’s
haircut, and I treat everybody like a friend because I really appreciate
everyone’s business. It makes my existence possible. If someone comes
in and doesn’t want to pay the price I’m asking, they leave. If they get
in my chair and don’t feel my services were worth what it cost, then
they don’t come back. I really love my shop because I’m not catering to
cheap people who only spend five dollars on an uncomfortable haircut
that they’re gonna complain about anyway. I give a quality service, at a
reasonable price, and I think everyone gets what they want. Plus, I’m
my own boss and I do whatever I want, so I’m still searching for the
worst part of my job.
9. What’s the work/family/life balance like?
Simple, I’m open 10-6 Tuesday-Saturday. I stay late if people need
haircuts, but otherwise I’ve got Mondays and Sundays off to spend with
the wife. It’s a good way to live. I go home and relax each evening, and
I never wake up to an alarm. I love it.
10. What is the biggest misconception people have about your job?
I don’t know what anyone’s misconceptions would be….I don’t know of
too many very rich barbers. I’m a one man shop. I’m gonna stay that way
because it’s a decent living and I don’t want to deal with employees.
It’s not an extremely rich or poor source of income. I’d like to live
comfortably and not worry about money, but I don’t need any toys other
than my skateboard and my guitar. And I already got those. It’s a simple
way to live and provide for a family.
