Reggie's Barber Emporium

It’s a calm Tuesday morning. With his upcoming wedding just a month away, 59-year-old Reginald Marsh has a lot on his mind. Distracted by the ever-present sound of Channel 2 news playing in the background, Reggie shakes his head in utter disbelief as they report on some of the city’s latest tragedies. “They need to get these kids in trade schools man, give them something positive to do.”

One by one, Reggie cycles through his unique collection of tools, examining each one to see which would be best to use for his 8:30 a.m. appointment — a low taper fade. Carefully lubricating each trimmer with Andis’ most powerful solution, Reggie coughs after accidently inhaling the aerosol can’s pungent fumes.

Shuffling through a random assortment of papers he gathered from the day before, Reggie looks at his schedule and reads names as diverse as the city itself. “I’ve got 10-15 clients today,” said Reggie, explaining the importance of keeping himself busy. “I could make between $500-2000 dollars if I wanted to.” His client’s eyes lit up. “That’s lawyer money,” he joked; but deep down, he knew it was true. Since the pandemic, other barbers haven’t been as fortunate. By the “grace of God,” Reggie has.

It's pouring rain. Thick rain drops beat against the shop’s dirty windows like angry musicians aggressively playing the drums. “God’s not happy with us,” said Reggie, explaining how troubled youth have started to come downtown at night to sell drugs and beg for money. “Come 8:00 p.m., it’s like a totally different world out here.”

An elderly gentleman sitting in the chair beside him agrees, saying “Kids these days are foolish to be flaunting wads of cash on the train.” 30 years ago, Reggie says people would “walk around with hammers in their pockets, ready to shatter the kneecaps of anyone dumb enough to challenge them for their money.” Today, “They walk around with bleach filled syringes, ready to pierce the skin of anyone who looks at them the wrong way.” Or even worse, guns.

No matter the topic, Reggie is a natural born conversationalist. As he meticulously snips flyaways and split ends, he continuously preaches the importance of conditioning your hair. As he lines up your beard, he talks about the impact stress can have on the body. When asked, he even lays out all the reasons young people should stay in school and pursue higher education. One day, he hopes to buy property and expand his business so he can provide them with jobs like he did for his daughter.

For now, he finds solace in his emporium — A small 600 sq. ft. room filled with sturdy black cushioned chairs, fancy gadgets and devices so bizarre you’d think they were out of a movie (imagine a pickle cart blasting early 2000’s Hip Hop and R&B music with surround sound speakers powered by a generator).

As day turns to night, customers come and go, but Reggie stays. Patiently waiting to tell the next person about where to get their clippers serviced, what the best sandwich place is or how to save money on their rent. As impressed customers brush themselves off and dig for their wallets, Reggie hands them a business card with his personal cell phone number on it, telling them to “call whenever they need him.” To outsiders, he’s Reginald Marsh – the 4.9 star rated black barber who just so happened to “defy the odds” by staying in business for over 30 years. To his customers, it’s just Reggie.