Zach Booker wants to bring the traditional barbershop back to West Michigan neighborhoods and he aims to do it by making sure plenty of trained barbers are ready.
Booker, owner of
Zach's Barbershop (4064 Chicago Dr. SW, Grandville), will open
Booker Barber College at 170 Veterans Dr., Holland on July 17. The college is accepting student applications now, and on that date will be open to the public for $5 haircuts and $7 straight razor shaves.
Booker says many of the first students have transferred from the
Booker Institute of Cosmetology, a Booker family institute, and will be working on customers under direct supervision of two barber college instructors. The barber college is located in the former Holland location of the Booker Cosmetology Institute, which also has locations in Muskegon and Hudsonville.
"I own a barbershop and became a barber because I saw the West Michigan area is saturated with cosmetologists," Booker says. "Other barbershops are staffed with cosmetologists, and clients aren't getting the authentic barbershop experience, where they can go in and know that the barber has been trained for 2,000 hours to cut short hair. It's the community connection; you develop friendships, I know my clients, I know their kids."
Booker says there are only five barber colleges in Michigan and Booker Barber College will be the only one in West Michigan. Students will receive classroom instruction and testing in addition to the hands-on training in hair cutting, color, perms and relaxers. The full course takes about a year to complete.
Hours: Tues. - Sat., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.
Source: Zach Booker, Booker Barber College
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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