@ The Barber (What friends are for)

While I was attending school at Umass Lowell I lived in the Boott Mills, not far from campus. Outside there was a barber shop called Salon 22 that I would always walk by but never enter. I got my haircuts at a different place. I finally decided to stroll in when I had about four months left at the apartment. I'm glad I did. I met Moreno. He is Dominican and resembles Mr. Sandman from Punchout! He probably gave me the best, cheapest haircut (%15) I ever had. Even my roommate said it look better than ever. Needless to say, I went back. I would always give him $20 just because it ended up looking good and Moreno took the extra care to do so. It was about a forty five minute process which began with the buzzer and scissors and ended with a manual shaving razor that Moreno would carefully trim with, getting all the details just right. My type of person. Him and I would talk and he would show me videos like Silent Library on his phone. Always a joy when I went in there.

More recently he was fired, for no reason, by the salon. He and the others guys were like brothers for seven years. Then it ended abruptly. They wouldn't even give him the client list. Luckily I had Moreno's card and gave him a call, and at that time he explained what had happened. He said that he was now at a place where he could take his clients, very few at this point. He gave me the address and I went to it. It was an OK place, mainly a female salon where he was the only man there, but that is what he needed to do. I would get a couple of cuts there and he told me his plans to have his own shop. I was excited for him and told him I wanted to be the first customer, well I insisted upon it. Each time I came back he would show me the progress he was making towards designs for the new place. I would text him and ask when it was opening, "a couple weeks" was always the response.

Last week I asked once again and he told me that I could come to the new place on Monday, 21st, which Monday is his off day. I found the place and it was very close to where I used to live, (stones throw from Salon 22) but not quite done. I waited for five minutes and he was there at 2pm. He unlocked the door and told me to wait a couple minutes while he got ready. I took a look/walk around as he did so and told him it looked good. He didn't even have a sign outside yet. Moreno said he was actually a little nervous about the new environment, not for the business itself, but because he hadn't cut hair there before. I laughed when he said this and so did he.

Right after the first snip he called his wife and she gave him a big congratulations over the phone. We then talked about his plans for the new place and how he had been working every weekend to renovate and find equipment. His idea is very solid. Before I left I pulled out my wallet and he shook his head. I half expected this but continued to pull out the dollar that I had already inscribed something to the effect of "You skill with your array of hair sculpting tools and fierce customer loyalty will keep you successful". I also signed my name and he had me put the date on the bill as he took a couple pictured on his phone.

The thing is he was the only barber at Salon 22 that I would let touch my hair. Sometimes I would wait an hour, with an appointment mind you, for him to see me. He knew this well. My loyalty to my friends goes very far to anyone that has done well by me, and exactly the opposite to those who have done me wrong. When I told him I wanted to be first Moreno understood, and also wanted the same thing. This is what friends are for.

His shop will not open for another couple of weeks and he did it as a friendly gesture to me, which I will never forget. Sounds like a good start to @ The Barber by Moreno if you ask me.