Written stories: unearthing the truth

Razorbacks Barber Shop stays sharp after 17 years by keeping it personal

By Elijah Dixon 

Inside Razorbacks Barber Shop, the loudest thing isn’t music, it's conversation. Clippers buzz, customers laugh and barbers trade stories with people from all walks of life. After 17 years in business, the Long Beach shop has built its reputation the old-school way: word of mouth, consistent cuts and a space where anyone can feel comfortable walking in.

Pedro Zermeno , 58, a co-founder and longtime barber at Razorbacks, said staying successful as an independent business comes down to humility and treating every customer the same.

“We’re humble,” Zermeno said. “It makes us happy that people come in.”

A shop built on consistency, not controversy

Zermeno said Razorbacks has survived shifts in the industry  and changes in the neighborhood by focusing on what customers actually came for.

“It doesn’t matter who you voted for,” he said. “You came here for me to give you the best haircut that I can give you. Period.”

He added that keeping the shop welcoming isn’t just a value, it's also practical. Turning people away based on beliefs, background or language cuts off potential clients and goes against what a community shop is supposed to be.

“We have people that come that speak only Spanish, me and most the employees speak spanish so it’s never a problem”  “Where you come from? We want to give you the best haircut.” Pedro keeps in touch with his Mexican heritage as he use to travel back and fourth to Mexico City when he opened his barbering school there.

Learning to read hair and people

Zermeno said he learned how to cut hair  through on-the-job training under a mentor who was “super hard” on him in a way that forced him to understand customer service, professionalism and how to read clients before they even sit down.

“I’m already analyzing,” he said, describing how he studies hair texture, growth patterns and style before making the first cut.

He said that skill extends beyond hair and it also applies to people.

“The youth of today don’t know how to read people anymore,” he said, blaming a modern communication culture built on “text or email.” At Razorbacks, he said, the barbershop is still about face-to-face talk and making sure the client and barber understand each other.

From a rent sign to a full house

Zermeno said his decision to open his own shop started with frustration: he worked for an owner he described as disrespectful toward customers. Eventually he realized he was helping someone else profit without sharing the same values.

“If he can do it, I can do it,” he said.

After seeing a “for rent” sign in Belmont Heights, Zermeno took the risk and opened his shop in 2009. He said it took about seven to eight months to start seeing consistent return customers and that returning clientele became the foundation.

“One client is better than no client,” he said. “But having the consistency of someone coming back is the important part.”

COVID tested the shop’s trust

Like many barbershops, Razorbacks was temporarily shut down during the pandemic when personal services were considered nonessential. When the shop reopened, Zermeno said Razorbacks made a point to follow safety rules so customers would feel protected.

“The clients really saw that we were making an effort to make sure that they felt safe,” he said.

A community hub and a workplace people want to stay in

Cori Williams, a barber at Razorbacks, said the shop’s culture is what makes it different. After working in places where she felt criticized and discouraged, she said Razorbacks felt like the opposite.

“This place is a breath of fresh air,” Williams said. “Everyone here is really nice.”

Williams said she got into barbering after losing her job at 22, when her aunt pushed her to choose a career path. Over time, she discovered she enjoyed the emotional side of the work, giving people confidence and helping them walk out feeling better than when they came in.

“If you’re happy, I did my job,” she said.

Joe Rice: “You have to find a home and keep that home.”

Joe Rice, who said he worked in the dental industry for 30 years before switching careers, described barbering as a second chance and Razorbacks as the place that helped make it possible.

“I got old, and I started looking and went, ‘Oh, my Lord. I don’t have any retirement,’” Rice said, explaining why he left dentistry behind.

Rice said a friend from jujitsu encouraged him to enter barbering school and told him he’d be good at it, a comment that stuck with him, especially after that friend later passed away.

“I was in barbering school when he passed away,” Rice said. “And I was like, ‘OK, I gotta finish this now.’”

Rice said he doesn’t plan to leave the shop because stability matters in a relationship-based business.

“As a barber, you have to find a home and keep that home,” he said. “If you travel, you’re never going to get clients.”

And for customers who keep returning, that simple approach is exactly why Razorbacks remains a staple in Long Beach, 17 years after opening its doors.

“It’s therapy,” Zermeno said. “Listening and making sure that we give it our all on every haircut”.