Several years of pushing for a barber who understands black hair care ' and debating whether the demand was great enough ' never came to fruition.
But senior Mike Carson never questioned whether the demand was there.
I'm trying to take advantage of a market that hasn't been tapped
said the economics major, who opened the Chop Shop, 20 S. Court St., last Saturday. I'm filling the void.
Carson said he knew Athens needed a barbershop that could cut black hair ever since he arrived at Ohio University. Although hair salons exist in Athens, Carson said he wanted a barbershop that black students could count on.
People feel more comfortable when someone looks like them or comes from where they come from he said.
Carson began leasing the space for the Chop Shop about two years ago with the money he makes from nearby Mike's Dog Shack, which he also operates. He started to furnish the barbershop in March and had it ready two months ago, but he said he wanted to wait until Fall Quarter began to open the shop.
To concentrate on the shop's opening months, Carson decided to take this quarter off from school.
It was either pay for that or pay for this (barbershop) he said.
Carson said he has always considered himself a businessman and enjoys running the two small shops.
I won't say I'm good at math
but I'm good at money
he said.
Carson enlisted barbers Justin Scott, 26, and Isaiah Dupler, 25. Carson grew up with Scott, who learned how to cut hair from his mother, a beautician in Columbus. Dupler, who owned Varsity Barbershop on Court Street for four years, closed his shop in June to join Carson.
The Black Affairs Commission of Student Senate looked into bringing barbers in from Columbus or Cleveland over the past few years, said DeOnna Whitfield, last year's Black Affairs commissioner.
Whitfield said she found out about Carson's plan to install the barbershop last year but was not the catalyst behind his decision. She did, however, advocate for a shop to serve a growing minority population.
The minority student population has increased
and the need (for a barbershop) has increased as well
she said. There is a strong parallel between the two.
African Americans account for 4.5 percent of the OU's enrollment ' up from 3.3 percent in 2004 ' and, though that number may sound insignificant to some, Carson said that population still deserves a local option.-
I think
strengthens our efforts to recruit more students of color or more faculty or staff of color
he said. -
it certainly makes it a little bit easier to go to school and work in a particular community
