Brown says 'consistency, attention to detail, humility' is source of success for barber shop

Consistency. Attention to detail. Humility. These are the three terms that Master Barber and Owner of Dave's Cut Above Barbershop, David Brown, says are the secret to his success in running his business in Riverdale.

Although Brown graduated from McCoy Barber College in 1995, his mission to becoming a barber started long before. Brown began cutting hair in 1988 when he was 12 or 13 years old and was always attracted to everything a barbershop had to offer. 

When his barber would cut his hair, he would mentally save the steps and then go home to duplicate the process on family members and friends. Fast forward 33 years later, and that haircut he practiced on his loved ones as a young boy evolved into his profession, with his patrons referring to the haircut they receive from Brown as the "Dave cut."

David Brown and Magic Johnson | Facebook

"That’s my haircut that they are wearing, I put my name, my stamp on it so to speak," Brown said. "I stand by it so if that means a couple (of) extra minutes in my chair then so be it. I cut no corners, pun intended. There are thousands of great barbers in the Chicagoland area alone, I know that my clients drive past many shops to come and get that 'Dave cut' and every time a client gets out of my chair that’s exactly what they get. My best."

Consistency is key to Brown's success, and respecting his clients' time is one way to show his efforts.

"In this fast-paced world that we live in everyone is in a hurry," Brown said. "Don’t make appointments that you can’t keep. Everyone’s time is important."

Brown said that some of his inspiration comes from Magic Johnson, who runs his business both on and off the court in a respectable fashion. They had a chance to meet each other, and Johnson encouraged Brown to keep up the hard work and told him the world needs more business owners like him.

"To aspiring small business owners I’ll echo that (same) notion but add this: you may start out small (but) so does a tree, you never know how big you can become," Brown said. "If you're aspiring you’re already on your way to becoming that tree. Who knows you could one day become a Redwood!"

Brown is a member of the Barbershop Network News organization founded by Jeffery Coleman in 2003, where he hopes to talk about the historical significance of the barbershop within the black community.

Dave's Cut Above Barbershop is at 416 W 144th St. in Riverdale and the hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the Dave's Cut Above Barbershop Facebook page.