“For generations, the barbershop has been one of the main constants in the Black community,” Douglas Tate II says while sweeping the floor of his Westside barbershop, with the gentle care one gives to a precious treasure.
“As an institution, the barbershop, in one form or another, has always been here,” Tate continued. “People may leave the community and go their separate ways, but when circumstances and time bring them back, the barbershop is still here. They can reconnect and reunite.”
Barbershops have not only been a source of continuity and stability in the community, but also for some families. Tate’s family, for example, has been in the barbering business for three generations. He oversees the day-to-day affairs of Tate’s Barbershop, which his father first opened in 1964, and moved to its current location on West 10th Street in 1968.
Looking around the shop with pride, the eldest Tate mentioned how rewarding it is for the business to survive in the family almost half a century. He noted that unlike many white-owned businesses, which can often claim several generations of family leadership, African-American owned enterprises can only rarely make such claims.
“We have an extremely hard problem with that in our community. For some reason, most businesses just can’t move from the first generation to the second,” the elder Tate said. “So, it feels good to still have the shop going in our family.”
He also mentioned how he chose barbering, turning down his own father’s profession as a concrete mason, jokingly saying “the blocks were too heavy for me.” He decided not to be an electrician after noticing the lack of Blacks in trade unions and found success as a shoe repairman, although that field was on its way out. Barbering was selected as a stable way to support his family.
“Some say the freest Black man is a Baptist preacher, and right after that is the Black barber,” the senior Tate said. “In those professions he can get a lot done without relying on sources outside the community.”
For the youngest entrepreneur in the family, Douglas Tate III, barbering was a game-changer and lifesaver.
Despite growing up around two talented barbers and in a household that emphasized values, he found himself being disciplined for behavioral problems at school often. He remembers getting in trouble, then as punishment at the shop he would have to clean up or go in the back and read about Benjamin Bannekar and other historical Black figures.
“I’ve been around the barbershop all my life, and it actually saved my life,” said Tate III. “I had to do something, because I wasn’t going back to the streets.”
Realizing the value of maintaining a family trade, the youngest Tate earned his diploma, went to barbering school to get licensed and got into the business. Today, he is the one keeping youngsters in line.
“For me, it’s about giving back to the community now, especially when it comes to helping the kids who come in the shop,” he said.
In fact, all three Tates, and surely, the majority of their counterparts, view barbering as not just a living, but as a way to help enhance the lives of those around them.
“The barbershop (as an institution) is a landmark in the community,” the second Tate said. “It was really the first ESPN, and has been the place people can come to swap sports stories and really discuss ideas, politics and faith. In that way, our family business is still meeting needs.”
It’s a man’s world?
In one of James Brown’s classic songs, a verse goes, “It’s a man’s, man’s world. But it ain’t nothin’ without a woman or a girl.”
Perhaps the entertainer thought about barbershops when he wrote those lyrics.
Throughout the Black barbershop’s existence, a number of often unsung women have found success and had a positive influence on their clientele and the industry.
Alice “Cheryl” Livers was taught to believe that barbershops are the “Black man’s country club,” but she did not let that stop her from entering the field.
“Whatever the conversation is or however it goes, I’m in the middle of it, by choice,” Livers said, laughing.
Livers, a barber since 1966, works at Big D’s Barbershop on Central Avenue.
“At first, when I was younger it was hard, and sometimes even today I have men who tell me it’s not a real barbershop because I’m here,” she said. “It really doesn’t matter. I speak to everybody who walks through the door, and when everybody leaves I tell them to have a good day and to come back.”
Livers can provide all the services of the trade – haircuts, mustache trims, facials – but what she enjoys the most about barbering is interacting with the people.
“Everyday I learn something new,” she said. “I’ve met people who in other circumstances I would have not crossed their paths, and some customers are truly my friends and feel like part of my family.”
Lena Talley’s first few years in barbering were also somewhat difficult, but she found herself fitting in as time passed.
“I always enjoyed listening to the men talk and seeing how their minds function as far as different things in life, especially women,” Talley said.
Working at Leon’s Barbershop for more than 40 years, Talley said she has been blessed to work in an establishment where most men are respectful of the presence of a lady and try to stay away from rude and crude conversation.
“Then there may be one or two that take a comment way out. Some say, ‘oh, sorry miss.’ Others don’t. I’ve learned to deal with that because I’m in a man’s world,” Talley said. “Just be yourself.”
Leon Taylor, owner of Leon’s Barbershop, said of Talley, “She is truly an asset to the barbershop and has really expanded our clientele.”
Talley agrees that the barbershop is a very important institution in the Black community, noting that a lot of people love to come in to enjoy discussions and relieve tension.
“A lot of times people may be at a low point that day,” Talley said. “They can go in the barbershop, have a conversation with their barber or hear something that will enlighten them.”
Tracy Dickerson, who has worked for 18 years at Tate’s, appreciates working in a friendly environment. As a woman, it took her a while to develop a client base, but she has been successful due to excellence and her warm personality.
“I just enjoy talking to different people, and maybe saying something that can put a smile on their face,” Dickerson said.
All of the women thanked the owners of the shops where they work, John Smith, Leon Taylor, and Douglas Tate, respectively, for being supportive of their careers.
When Dickerson was asked if she still has any challenges as a barber, one of her longtime customers, Alan Johnson, jumped in.
“She doesn’t have problems because she’s one of the best, if not the best, around here,” he said as Dickerson smiled and blushed. “That’s why I’ve been coming to her for years, and will continue to do so.”
