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A Place for Cutting and Connecting
Freeman's Barbershop has three locations in Prince George's County. We visit the shop in Upper Marlboro where we find proprietor Robert Freeman. Freeman (right-standing) cuts the hair of Joshua Stokes.
(Craig Herndon)
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In recent weeks, Freeman put the word out that his shop had started a new fundraising venture, to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The idea came after longtime customer Don Jackson, 53, of Suitland mentioned to his buddies in the shop that he had relatives on the Gulf Coast who needed help. The shop adopted his family, who are now staying in Clinton, and started collecting donations for them and other hurricane victims.
Perfecting the Personal Touch
Veteran barber Buddy Owens said the shop works hard to win over clients.
"What we stress is family orientation," Owens said. "There's no cursing or lewd behavior. It's a place where families come to be comfortable."
Freeman started cutting hair as a teenager in his father's shop in Milledgeville, Ga., After moving to the District in 1989 to work for the government, he continued to cut hair in his spare time.
He opened his first shop on Central Avenue in Capitol Heights. After that business was on solid footing, he opened two others, in Largo and Laurel. In addition to those three shops, he also still runs his father's shop in Milledgeville, which he visits about every three weeks.
Freeman said he plans to install free wireless communication in his shops. He figures he can boost business that way and at the same time extend his investment in the community.
In fact, as Freeman sees it, the connection between business and community is a no-brainer. He said that giving back is a way for businesses to establish loyalty and create a sense of belonging in the community.
"I feel like that's home base, and I need to stay very connected," Freeman said of the Mitchellville, Largo, Kettering and Capitol Heights area he serves. "It makes me feel really good when a customer says, 'Really appreciate what you all do for the community.' ''
Freeman pointed to a neighboring business that recently donated three weeks' worth of dinners to the Jackson family.
"We can all go to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army," Freeman said. "But this way, there's a more personal feel to it."
On a busy day before the start of school, two children are in the front of the Largo shop selling hot dogs and popcorn for the scholarship fund.
Inside, about 25 other children and adults watch a DVD, the Ice Cube comedy "Are We There Yet," on one of the shop's two television sets as they await their turns in the barber's chair.
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