bar·ber - /ˈbärbər/ - noun
a person who cuts hair, especially men's, and shaves or trims beards as an occupation.
For thousands of years (yes, thousands) people have been altering their appearance and hairstyles. If you look back in history you will notice that men’s haircuts and facial hair styles have changed immensely over the different eras. These styles date all the way back 5000 BC, beginning with the ancient Egyptians who would use oyster shells as a blade. Barbers also played a role in World War I and II, as well as being surgeons for a short period of time before the professions were officially separated in 1745. Barbers became even more popular during modern times. In the 50’s and 60’s famous people such as Elvis Presley & Muhammad Ali would consistently go in barbershops for a fresh cut. We’ve seen various types of hairstyles ranging from flat tops, mullets, spiked hair, shaved designs and long hair trends.
One of the most sought after barbers in this area is Sam Casillas.
As most of you know, Sammy is the 28 year old owner of New Era Barbershop in Bullhead City. New Era has been open over a year and is still going strong. His interest in hair-styling started at an early age: “When I was around 10 years old my cousin, who is now a barber, cut my hair into a Mohawk just like David Beckham. I was amazed on what you could do with hair so when I was about 13 I started cutting my little brothers hair and that led to cutting my friends & future client’s hair as well.”
His interest in barbering grew with the years but so did his curiosity with making bad decisions… “Addiction hit me hard when I was around 18. It started to control my whole life. I started doing things I shouldn’t be doing and hurting the people that love me with my negative actions. One day it finally caught up to me, I was arrested and served time.”
While incarcerated, he worked hard on receiving his G.E.D. as a way to get back on track. When released in 2013, Sammy struggled to get his life on the right path but one day he said, “…enough was enough. I met my beautiful wife and with God’s grace I turned my life around.” With his life looking better than ever, he decided to turn his hustle into a profession. Sammy enrolled at Jacksons Barber College in Fort Mohave. It was at Jackson’s that he learned more about sterilization, hair-styling and facial hair. He also learned the proper techniques to scissor & clipper cutting, straight razor shaves and beard trimming.
“My day job was hanging drywall from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then I’d go to Jackson’s from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. It was tough but it was worth it. Now I do something I love - this isn’t a job to me, I love changing people’s lives. This is what I do, it’s my passion.” After completing the state required 1,500 hours of class/ instructional work at Jackson’s Barber College, Sammy went on to graduate and pass his state exams to become a licensed barber in Arizona. He was able to rent a chair at a local barbershop for a couple of months prior to opening up his own business, New Era Barbershop. As of April 2nd, New Era Barbershop has officially been open for a year.
“It feels good being a licensed barber in my hometown. I feel happy with what I do, especially knowing that I had to fight to be where I am today. It wasn’t at all easy for me to be where I am in life. Fighting addictions and incarcerations. It was rough, but with God and my family at my side we got through it together and I was finally able to make my dream come true.”
( Intro by: A.A. )
