These self-proclaimed “architects of swag” work closely with celebrities, post regularly on Instagram and earn six figures, taking what can be a monotonous job to new levels.
Lionel Harris, a barber known as Brownie Blendz, on the set of “The Shop Uninterrupted.”Credit…Kim Raff for The New York Times
Supported by
This article was reported from several cities, including Salt Lake City, Atlanta and San Francisco
I slide into a cushy leather chair in this bustling shop next to a small flooring business. The hum of clippers echoes throughout the room.
Jay Organez swoops a crisp cape across my shoulders and grabs a pick, combing it through my hair as I describe my go-to cut: a little off the top with a shadow fade on the sides.
My eyes scan the Northern California shop — 22 chairs in a half circle around the room, some of the individual stations with the Instagram handle of a barber painted above the mirror. A framed photo of former President Barack Obama hangs on a wall, and the TV is tuned to highlights from a recent Golden State Warriors basketball game.
But the volume is turned down low, and instead I hear snippets of conversations — quick descriptions of desired cuts, followed by comfortable banter about politics (Donald Trump running for president — again!) and sports (LeBron James passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the N.B.A. career scoring record) and life (a 20-something moving in with his girlfriend).
I instantly recognize the ease — a trust built over time that sounds almost identical in the chairs here at KJ’s Barber & Hair Creationz as it did a few days earlier inside polished N.B.A. locker rooms and gilded suites of five-star hotels.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement
