People of the OCQ: Jonny

When you walk down Wesley street, there’s an eclectic shop called Jonny’s Barber Shop, but like most, you probably missed the sign from being memorized by all the trinkets in the window. 

“People will come in thinking it’s a museum, or often people mistake it as an art gallery or tattoo shop. Nah, it’s just a fun barber shop,” says Jonny. 

Jonny made the decision to open up his own barber shop after cutting hair for ten years in a salon.  

“When I was upstairs in the Zorkin office signing a lease for my apartment rental, I looked out of their office to see the buildings below and asked if any of those spaces come up for rent,” he recalls. “I was looking at branching out from where I was working and this space came up for rent.”

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When the opportunity of starting a business came up, he only had five thousand dollars to start. 

“So yeah, first and last month's rent, and security deposit took up almost all of it. I had, like, just pennies to decorate.”

Jonny decided to improvise. He basically moved his collections from his house into the barber shop to decorate the space. 

“My house used to look like this,” he jokes. “I kind of wanted it to look like a tattoo shop, because tattooing is a big part of my life.”

His shop is made up of thousands of different trinkets, an assortment of plants, paintings, arcade machines and much more. 

“This is what happens when people are allowed to be their authentic selves. It's a little bit eccentric, it's a little bit obnoxious. It's a little bit of everything, because we're all kind of a little bit of everything,” Jonny explains. “It’s got enough in here that everybody can relate to it. There's something in here that everybody used to have.”

“If you don't like my haircuts, at least you like hanging out and looking at all my stuff,” he jokes. 

Jonny chose to be a barber based on his grandfather’s advice of finding a profession that won’t wreck his body in his senior years. He decided on haircutting as it was the slackest, most respectful job a man could have. He’s been doing it for almost twenty years and still loves it. 

When asked what advice he would give fellow entrepreneurs he says start with more than five grand.

“Understand that when the opportunity to do it comes that it’s going to be the most inopportune time. But don't worry about it. Just do it,” he says. “It's a lot of work, and you can't quit, even when you want to, and you want to sometimes. There's nothing worse than just sitting and waiting for somebody to buy your stuff in a room full of stuff that just costs money to be there. Then sometimes you don't sell anything, but you might tomorrow. So, don't quit.”

Although the struggle is real, Jonny says walking into the shop every day to do what he loves is worth the risks he’s taken.  

Jonny’s Barber Shop is open Monday to Friday and walk-in’s are welcome on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The barber shop is located at 309B Wesley Street. Come in and have a cut and chat with Jonny; definitely come in to admire his collections and play some arcade games.