Barber students prepare to be a cut above
They know it’s a calling, connection to community
Frank Rollins walked into the Ohio State College of Barber Styling in Whitehall one recent Friday and made his way to Jasmine Craig, who helped the 75year-old into a chair. ● She wrapped a black barber cape over the Jefferson Township resident’s clothes and started combing his short, gray hair. ● It was time for his monthly haircut. ● “I want it close down on the sides,” he said matterof-factly. “I want it to be flat on the top in the shape that it’s in now.” ● Craig, 27, an advanced student at the private barber college, pulled out her clippers and got to work. The Whitehall resident first began attending the school last year and is set to graduate in May.
“Barbering is a calling because you can’t fake this. You gotta have a love for this, a passion ... it takes great character and discipline to navigate through this industry.” Andre Wallace
Craig said her first love is art, but a friend suggested that she should become a barber after she returned to Greater Columbus from Virginia last year.
“‘With me being an artist, I can kind of collaborate the two,” she said. “I pretty much just signed up, and it’s been working out ever since. I actually found a passion I didn’t even know existed.”
Founded in 1958, the Ohio State College of Barber Styling was originally located on South High Street in Downtown Columbus. The school moved to its current location at 4614 E. Broad St. in 1993 and has been serving the Whitehall community ever since, according to its website. It currently is owned by Executive Administrative Director Carrie Welbaum and Executive Financial Director Darlene Maziarz.
Welbaum said the barber program is a mix of classroom instruction, tests and plenty of practice for students to learn how to style men’s and women’s hair – from haircuts and color to shaving facial hair.
Students hone their skills by practicing on clients from the community. Haircuts range in price from $4.50 to $7.50, depending on the skill level of the student. A razor shave costs $10, while “the works” (a shave, facial, shampoo and haircut) costs $20.
“We’re glad to be able to provide this service to the community,” Welbaum said.
She said students must complete 1,800 credit hours to graduate, with tuition costing around $18,775. Students like Craig can complete the program in a year if they attend at least five days a week, but all students are allowed to go at their own pace.
For Craig, the decision to enroll in barber school versus cosmetology school is that women’s hair would be a “hassle” to style every day, she said. Instead, she likes to focus on men’s grooming and facials.
While the majority of the students at Ohio State College of Barber Styling are men, Craig said there are a few women barbers in her class. Welbaum said women make up about 25% of the student
population.
“When I started, I just assumed it would be a lot of men,” Craig said. “I was shocked to see there were more women than I assumed, so that definitely made me feel more comfortable.”
After graduation, Craig wants to work in at an established barbershop so she can build clientele. But she hopes eventually to open an upscale shop, complete with complimentary wine for clients.
“I want to learn the game, perfect the game,” Craig said. “But I definitely want to be able to get into a suite and have my own space, so it can be more intimate.”
Two people who help teach at the barber college are George Harrison and Andre Wallace. They teach 15 various
units, ranging from the history of barbering, general anatomy, women’s and men’s hair, and barbershop management, Harrison said.
But for Harrison and Wallace, who are both alumni of the college, classes are much more than just learning how to cut hair – they teach life lessons to students as well.
“We become psychologists, counselors,” Harrison said. “At the end of the day, everything that I’ve been through in life has led us up to this opportunity.”
“Barbering is a calling because you can’t fake this,” Wallace said. “You gotta have a love for this, a passion ... because you’re gonna deal with people from all aspects of life, backgrounds, upbringings, and they’re going to bring their experiences
to the shop. So, it takes great character and discipline to navigate through this industry.”
The instructors get to know their regular clients, such as Gregory Kinney, 62, who comes in every two weeks. The Northland resident said he enjoys the atmosphere and the company at the shop.
“I come here because they’re the best barbers you can find,” he said.
This story is part of the Dispatch’s Mobile Newsroom initiative. Visit our reporters’ work at dispatch.com/mobilenewsroom, where you also can sign up for The Mobile Newsroom newsletter. mwalker@dispatch.com @micah_walker701.