BALTIMORE — A year ago, Conscious Head Barbershop was on the verge of closing its doors for good. This Sunday, it will celebrate 25 years of service to the community.
WATCH: Conscious Head Barbershop celebrates 25 years of service
When Jabari Natur first started barbering, he had support from family and community to open Conscious Head Barbershop but limited financial resources.
"I'm pumped because when we started this shop, I never had the budget. I never had the money to logically do this, you know; I just had heart and spirit," Natur said.
That heart and spirit is what keeps him going 25 years later.
Each year has not been easy, but Natur says it's important for him to not only keep the shop open but also to teach a new generation of barbers.
Barbers like Kenny Colvin, who graduated from Natur's Barber Bootcamp and has been working at Conscious Head for the past five years.
"He's helped multiple young, uh, African American men get a trade that can help them for decades in the future, you know, something that will keep them, uh, working, something that can keep funds coming in their pocket, and that's a big need in the inner city," Colvin said.
Other barbers say Conscious Head is much bigger than just a barbershop.
"So just being a part of this family it's a great honor for me," said Darrell Hairston, master barber at Conscious Head Barbershop.
Hairston says it's about connections made in the community through events and partnerships where people in need can get free haircuts.
"So we've always done so much in the community. So a lot of times when I go to the community, people are like, Alright, we can't see y'all go because you've done too much," Natur said.
A year ago when the building needed repairs to the roof, the community stepped in to make sure the barbershop stayed open. Because of that support, Natur can continue teaching young barbers.
"When these young guys get out there, and these students and they becoming innovators and self-knowledgeable about what they can do, and they cutting and servicing, I mean, that's like God's work," Hairston said.
Natur hopes the same youth keep the doors to the barbershop open for another 25 years and beyond.
"I hope that, you know, my students take the legacy and they continue to build on it. They continue to teach; they continue to teach in the way that we, that we're teaching right now," he said.
Sunday not only marks 25 years but will also be graduation day for the latest Barber Bootcamp trainees.
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