Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonny Mceachran.
Sonny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started barbering when I was 15 years old in the basement of my parent’s house in Detroit. I was a young skater Punk, too broke to afford haircuts and most certainly hair color, I tried to imitate the mohawks, Liberty spikes, and other punk rock hairstyles I would see inside the CD booklets I owned. It was always just a hobby, skateboarding came first.
My good friend Braxton and I became close and would skateboard everyday after school. Trouble found us in the name of Officer Ferguson and Officer Pellond, they would often hassle us because we were different and Braxton was African American, most times we would both get detained however Braxton would be handcuffed and I wouldn’t, most people in this town were very Prejudice including our own local police. After receiving countless (unjustified) loitering tickets for skating in abandoned parking lots, Braxton’s father called my mother and suggested we take the bus to his barbershop in downtown Detroit where the cops have actual problems to solve and not concerned with two adolescent skaters. I thought nothing of it I was just so excited I could skateboard without being hassled by a couple of racist cops. I remember the first time we walked into his dad’s Barber Shop they had biggie on the radio drinking 40s out of paper bags smoking anything you can imagine right in the middle of the barbershop as both the front and back door open to Breeze it away and thought I’m home. How lucky can you be to work here? Meanwhile, I have to go to school and pretend to care about these pointless classes I felt pressured to take.
At first The Barbers would tease me for showing interest but as winter came I wouldn’t even skateboard anymore I just wanted to come in and see what these guys were doing and learn, after a while I gained their respect and learned quite a bit from these Master barbers and I still carry some of the lessons learned into my barbering today and will always be thankful for the opportunity to watch these men work, at this time there was no internet I could not just YouTube a video on how to do anything I ever wanted. Back then someone had to teach you and you had to earn your skills. After moving to California I took my cosmetology courses in high school and graduated with my barbering license in 2006. In late August 2018 after four years of building a clientele in the lower part of the San Fernando Valley I opened the doors to the Crimson barber shop. The shop is filled with skateboards, beer, whiskey, and all the same classic nuances and attributes the barbershops I grew up with to help maintain that feeling I experienced the first time I walked into a real barbershop.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth Seas never made skilled sailors, of course there were struggles and there always will be stress and hard times in owning any business, however what I see most is when people stand in their own way when it comes to achieving the things they want most, many people will deter you from reaching your goals because they have no drive to reach one or create one for themselves. It’s also not cheap to come up with the funds to create your own Barbershop, lucky for me I have established a very loyal clientele and without them we would not be a Crimson Barbershop. I like to see it as community-based Barbershop and I tell every one of my clients this place just wouldn’t be the same without you.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Crimson Barbershop – what should we know?
I’m not sure I can put these things into words, our Barbershop is very vibe based. I would suggest you come in and see for yourself. There are countless barbershops out there and there are a lot better Barbers out there than me but we do our best to make sure you look your best. I give everything I have into all of my haircuts as someone once said in my industry if you don’t look good we don’t look good.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion and dedication, a true love for any craft generally stems from obsession and that’s exactly what I am, obsessed with my craft.
Pricing:
- Haircuts start at $30
- Beer and whiskey is free
Contact Info:
- Website: www.crimsonbarber.resurva.com
- Instagram: The Crimson Barbershop
Image Credit:
@beauryan for photos
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