Baltimore barbershop seeks help from community to keep its doors open

Conscious Head Barbershop on East 25th Street in Baltimore has been serving the community for over two decades, cutting hair in and out of its doors.

It has also been a place for many up-and-coming barbers to learn the trade.

But all of those things may be coming to an end because of significant damage to the building.

“Within the last month and a half, the roof wants to start leaking and it's like okay, coming and gushing down the cabinets and I’m like, what the heck. So, I said okay, alright, I'll call the insurance company, and you know, hopefully, we can get this done. At least if they don’t take care of the roof, maybe they will take care of the inside,” said Jabari Natur, the owner.

Sadly, the insurance company told Natur there was nothing they could do about the damage because the problem may have started before the building was under the insurance company's protection.

So, Natur was left with two options, close the shop or pay for repairs, two expensive options.

With that in mind, he turned to the community for help, setting up a GoFundMe to get financial support.

Natur says he can’t close the barbershop because it's more than just a place where people can get a cut. He provides a unique service many other shops don’t have, he teaches.

Bryson Knoel has been a part of the barbershop’s boot camp for the last four months and says it was the best decision he could have made.

“I was looking for a career change. I’m currently a teacher, and it was kind of like going through the traditional route of barbering school. [It] just didn’t seem to fit my schedule, it definitely didn’t fit my budget," says Knoel.

Knoel added he is working his way up to becoming an apprentice at the shop.

Like Tavon Chapman, who went through the boot camp after graduating high school and is now an apprentice.

He says the best part of learning at this barbershop is the hands-on experience he gets from volunteer opportunities when the shop gives away free haircuts.

“Just get them cleaned up, even if they just want a shape up. [Or] just give them a bald head just to see them. They are always appreciative. We never had a bad experience. When they get done, they’re always happy," says Chapman.

Both men say if the shop has to close its doors, it will be a big change for the community.

“A lot of people’s lives can really be affected by it," says Knoel.

“It would be a big loss for the community and just for the people inside like, [for] a lot of people, this is their job, and a lot of people come here to take their mind off of whatever they have going on. Even just us as apprentices, that would slow our growth tremendously," says Chapman

Conscious Head Barbershop hopes to raise $50,000 to fix the roof and cover other repairs and remodeling from the water damage to the building.