Jesse Medina is the mobile barber
He goes to customers’ homes to cut their hair
Jesse Medina, a local barber in Visalia, got tired of the long 10 to 12 hour days standing behind a chair repeating the same monotonous movements on customers’ heads so he decided it was time for a change.
That change was to adopt an entrepreneur mindset and start his own barbershop. Well, it is not quite a barbershop, it is more like a barbershop on-the-go. A mobile barbershop, Medina calls it, where he goes to wherever the customer is to cut their hair.
“They [customers] don’t have to go nowhere,” Medina said, adding, “They could walk out in their pajamas and get a haircut. As soon as I get there you are up, you are not waiting.”
Medina, who has been cutting hair for over a decade, said every Tuesday, Wednesday and every other Thursday he drives a mid-size bus to care homes, convalescent homes and group homes and cuts the hair of people with special needs and physical and mental disabilities. The reason. “It is harder for them to get out,” Medina said.
Not only that, but Medina said he also understands how difficult it is for customers who have such conditions to function in a normal barbershop setting.
“I’ve had customers that were autistic and they come to the shop, and with a loud environment it makes it harder for them to function,” Medina said. “All the noise, it gets to them, and it gives them anxiety.”
Medina said the experience is just as bad for physically-disabled customers, especially those in wheelchairs.
“When they bring them to the barbershop, some people look at them and they just see that they are moving around, that they don’t sit still, and barbers don’t tend to want to cut their hair,” Medina said.
To help, Medina started calling those customers, and others who have disabilities, and letting them know that if they want, he could go to their house and cut their hair to make things more convenient and comfortable for them.
To prevent hair from getting in the house of his customers, Medina cuts their hair on his bus, which is equipped with a number of seats, a barber chair and a wheelchair-accessible seat so those in wheelchairs don’t have to go through the trouble of getting out of their wheelchair.
“All of the hair stays in the bus, it doesn’t go in the home,” Medina said.
He also has a water faucet, an ice chest for drinks, air conditioning, heating and plans on having TVS installed in the near future.
In terms of how far he’ll travel to cut someone’s hair, Medina said right now he is working to build up Porterville and other cities in Tulare County.
“The main goal is to be able to do Tulare County,” Medina said.
Although he mostly cuts men’s hair, Medina said he can also cut women’s hair, including trimming edges, tips and bangs.
As far as his prices, Medina said he charges $30 for a haircut, $37 for a haircut and a beard trim, $35 for special cuts, $42 for a special cut and a beard trim, $35 for a hot towel shave and $60 for a full service. For appointments that are out of Porterville, Medina said he charges and extra $20.
Medina said he only takes appointments for care homes if there are three or more people getting haircuts. For individuals in care homes, Medina said he charges $25 per person, which includes a haircut and a beard trim. Medina said the price goes down to $20 per person if there are four or more people getting a haircut at the care home.
For care homes located outside of Porterville, Medina said he charges an extra $5. Those wanting to set up an appointment can call Medina at 715-2887.
“For the [care] homes, it is cheaper because that is more of what I am trying to go after,” Medina said.
So far, Medina said things have been going great.
“I enjoy it because I am not doing the same thing everyday, it is different,” Medina said. “I am going to a new environment, a new place, and seeing new people.”
Medina, who has been running his business, Mobile Barber, for about four months, said he plans to one day expand and have people work for him.
He said he wants to grow his business to where it operates Monday through Friday and to where his future employees are visiting four care homes a day, which he said would average out to about 20 haircuts a day.
“That would be good right there,” Medina said, adding that he is also working on having a total of six mid-size buses running at once. “My whole thing is just to make sure that they are maintained and the employees are doing what they are supposed to do, giving the clients the proper haircut and treating them right.”
He added, “We will see how it goes, but so far it is going good.”