New England School of Barbering keeping old-school tradition alive

By Melody Keilig / For the Insider - Apr 21, 2015 | 0 comments

The Carons are repping barber style on the outside of the building, too, with the barber pole painted posts on the building.

Do human heads have all those numbers under their hair, too?

Student Sam Ferranti has his goatee trimmed by Brady Carroll.

Barber student Nate Riggs gives fellow student Mike Davies a close shave. Trusting soul, that Davies.

Forget the cliché “this ain’t your grandfather’s barber shop,” because the New England School of Barbering in Penacook is exactly where gramps would go for a cut and shave. Barbering students, both young and old, learn to keep one of the oldest practices in the world alive, in the way it should be taught: without changing the original techniques.

Instructed by David and Cynthia Caron, who have been barbering for 18 and eight years, respectively, students learn a hands-on approach rather than sitting in a classroom all day with a textbook.

But yes, there is a classroom, complete with desks, backpacks and small lockers. Apartment-style dorms are even available above the barber school for students who cannot commute. As strange as it may seem, barbering is a pretty complex practice that can’t be taken lightly.

There are multiple steps and instructions for what may appear to be simple tasks. For example, cutting hair isn’t just a quick couple of snips; it’s a whole process.

“I’m not teaching them to cut hair; I’m teaching them how to leave hair,” said David Caron, who graduated from Mr. Richard’s Barber School in Auburn, Maine, in 1996. He became a licensed instructor in 1998 and has owned five barber shops. The Carons now own American Barber Studios in Concord and Henniker.

“Teaching haircutting is art because it’s a matter of teaching them to leave hair, not cut it all off. You have to take some off, but it’s what’s left that counts,” he said.

While haircutting involves taking only a certain amount of hair, shaving – another classic barbering practice – is about learning to remove hair.

Old-fashioned barber shop shaving is a process requiring two-to-three page instructions, some of which include the method of placing a towel on a person’s face. As one student revealed, there’s even a particular way to heat and fold towels. It’s a lot more than it seems, so don’t think you can fly through barbering school as an expert towel handler.

Did you also know that there are 14 different shaving strokes, each for an area of the face? Sometimes the simplest concepts have the most in-depth practices – except using cheap razors; that’s pretty self-explanatory.

If you’re wondering why someone would go to a barber for a shave instead of doing it themselves, David said that it’s all about surrendering control and getting the full experience, as well as continuing an age-old practice that preserves the tradition for future generations.

Despite the potentially unnerving thought of trusting someone else to shave for you, students assure that it’s quite soothing. From the satisfying feel of hot towels placed on your face to finally letting go of your winter beard, think of it as a manly spa day. Some customers have even been caught falling asleep during a shave, which gives the students extra confidence in their abilities.

“Surprisingly enough, a blade to your throat is actually really relaxing,” barber student Sam Ferranti confirmed with a smile.

Another challenge students face is handling capes. Even putting one on a customer isn’t as simple as it seems, because it must be placed and taken off a certain way to avoid elbowing someone or getting hair on customers after a cut. The cape must also be adjusted to fit different body types, from short to tall, small to large, and everything in between.

“On my first day, I spent a good hour just figuring out how to work the cape. It looks like it would be so simple, but then you go to do it and it’s like, what is this?” says Karissa Levesque, who has been a student for 10 months.

Hands-on learning is the key to the School of Barbering, and the craft itself. First-day students spend some time in the classroom, but the majority of their day is spent getting the experience of barbering that they need to become successful.

“We believe in order for you to be a great barber, a successful barber, is the hands-on. You’ve got to have the hands-on,” said Cynthia, who has been a licensed barber since 2008. Prior to barbering, she became licensed in cosmetology in 2002.

Although mannequins are often used when learning to cut and style hair, the Carons prefer to avoid having students cut fake hair, opting instead to give them a better experience by jumping right into learning on a real person.

“The students do all the haircuts and get supervised by myself and my husband, because we’re the owners and instructors,” Cynthia said. “The only way you can become good at what you do is by doing it. We spend some time in the classroom, but the learning, the teaching, comes from the clinical floor.”

The atmosphere of the barber shop makes the whole experience stress-free, and even fun. Regular customers are greeted by name and share in the learning process with the students. Even Sushi, the small dog of the shop, happily roams and greets customers as they walk through the door. The exchange of jokes and laughter consumes the shop as school is made enjoyable, which is something any student would ask for.

“It’s a blast to be around here; we’re all like family,” says Levesque. “We laugh all the time. It doesn’t really feel like school.”

Mike Davies and Andrew Hutchins, new students at the School of Barbering, were cutting hair on their very first day of class. Students spend from 8 to 10:30 a.m. in the upstairs classroom before heading down to the floor, where the real learning happens. Both students knew they wanted to become barbers in their teenage years and are now fulfilling that goal.

Davies moved to the school from the UK and is currently the only student living in the provided dorms above the building. For him, dreams of barbering started at age 15. Davies says he’s had a range of jobs, but barbering is what he really wants to do.

“It’s day one and so far, it’s brilliant,” he says. “I woke up a bit nervous this morning, but they make you feel really comfortable.”

Hutchins says that he wanted to become a barber upon graduating high school, as he had become fascinated with the old-fashioned barber shop scene. The career seemed promising and Hutchins said he enjoys hanging out and seeing what goes on in a barber shop. He has worked for the highway department and is currently a kitchen designer at Home Depot.

When describing the effect of barbering, he says, “It’s more about people. It’s connecting the world.”

Everyone at the New England School of Barbering has their own reasons for taking up the craft, but each arrives at a similar conclusion. The historic practice of barbering, along with the old-timey surroundings of red, white and blue barber poles, antique chairs, and an atmosphere that doesn’t fail to excite and engage conversation, is either what initially interested them or made them stay.

“I had always wanted to do something with hair, and when picking between being a barber and a hairstylist, just the history behind barbering and how long it’s been around for made my choice easier,” said barber student Sydney Henderson.

“It’s about giving them as much as a realistic barber shop experience as possible in a school setting, so when they get out, they’re ready to work,” said David.

The mission of the New England School of Barbering is up front with its promise to send students out into the workforce with the skills they need to succeed, all while keeping the love of barbering alive within them.