Street Barber Sets Up Shop

by Maya McFadden

Colon (right), with Joseph Nicholas: “Jesus washes all of his disciples’ feet. And I’m not better than him, so I can do it, too.”

Colon gives another haircut, and a beard trim, on Kimberly.

Fair Haven native and local barber Juan “Artist” Colon set up a chair on Kimberly Avenue with a promise — and a mission: “Free haircut for anyone in need.”

First up was 36-year-old Brian, who has been facing homelessness for the past two years.

This reporter captured a glimpse of Colon’s journey as he works toward opening a mobile barbershop to supply struggling community members with a haircut, barbershop conversation, and motivation to get through their hard times. Colon is also documenting his journey through his popular social media account. Click here to view the video he made on Thursday.

In September, Colon began his journey of bringing his hair-cutting skills directly to the streets of New Haven and beyond. What started as a simple need that Colon noticed he could fulfill has since turned into a life mission.

Colon’s mission continued on Thursday afternoon outside of the Parish Hall, next door to Besty Ross Arts & Design Academy. Almost as soon as he set up a chair, tripod, and table to hold his barbering tools, three people stopped by to wait their turn.

As Brian sat in the chair last Thursday, he explained the significance of getting a professional haircut free of charge. All his life he’s cut his own hair, until he met Colon. Thursday was the second time Brian had his hair cut by Colon. The first video Colon made of his haircut has since gone viral, he said. 

“Almost done, brodie,” Colon told Brain as he completed the final touches to his beard and mustache. 

Brian said he fell on hard times and homelessness after his mother passed away. “That’s what really fucked me up,” he said. 

He said that “conversations in the streets are very, very limited.”

When in Colon’s chair, he finally is able to be treated normally and have “normal conversations.” 

When offered the opportunity to also have his feet washed by Colon after his haircut, Brian turned it down, as he had open wounds on his feet and hands that were hurting. 

But the haircut, he said, “makes you feel really good for the time being.” 

After the barber cape was removed and Brian stood up from the chair, he checked himself out on Colon’s phone camera and said, “I like it,” while making plans for the rest of the day with his friends.

“You look better than you think,” Colon responded, then he gave Brian a hoodie to rep Colon’s social media and a sleeping bag and other necessities. 

When not providing free haircuts, Colon works full time barbering in New Haven.

Colon was raised in Fair Haven and has been posting videos on social media for the past month of his street barber journey. From Ferry Street to Newhallville and on to Bridgeport and Florida, Colon has kept his clippers by his side to cut community members’ hair several days each week. 

He first picked up cutting hair when he was 12 years old. He would cut his mother’s boyfriend’s hair, though he then put the clippers down during his teens and 20s. That’s because he said he had many negative influences in his life growing up who were barbers.

Now, at 30 years old, Colon has decided to merge his love for art with the clippers again. In August he graduated from the Branford Academy of Hair and Cosmetology. He spent many years before then cutting his son’s hair and posting the art designs he has made on social media.

What began as an idea for a “side hustle” soon became his long-term dream. Colon is raising money to buy a truck that will become his mobile barbershop, allowing him to still meet the community where it’s at. His hope is that it will also shelter those in need temporarily while they get their hair cut, particularly when the weather gets cold. 

His journey providing free haircutsfirst began in September when Colon took a roadtrip to Florida and noticed a homeless individual asking a 9-year-old for money. “I checked him because that just wasn’t right, but I also hung out with him for half an hour,” he recalled. 

Their time together revealed to Colon how the individual ended up on the streets of Florida and how he then developed an addiction because he had been kicked out of his home while young. “He didn’t have the help,” Colon said. 

The brief interaction left Colon wondering how he personally can help those in need more. That’s when he decided he’d bring his craft as a barber to those seeking a confidence boost and connection with someone willing to listen while they’re in the barber chair. 

When he can, Colon also provides those who sit in his chair with clothes, money, and food. 

“A lot of people misunderstand them or just brush them off,” he said. “But they’re human, just like them.” 

He noted that while cutting hair on the streets, he notices the poor treatment homeless individuals receive. “Even when they are just asking for the time or something, people brush them off like they don’t matter,” he said. 

Over the past month, Colon has given free haircuts not just to those facing homelessness but also to fathers who are struggling, and their sons, whose haircuts they may not be able to afford keeping up with.

Colon was inspired to add the foot cleanse to his haircuts when working in Florida. He said he met a family with children who had no shoes or socks, and their feet were muddy from walking through puddles. He decided to use the body wash he had packed in his bag for the trip to wash the children’s feet.

“This is way bigger than me. I’m just doing whatever God is moving me to do,” he said. 

On his drive back home from Florida, Colon took I-95 to stop in nearly every southern state to provide free haircuts. The drive in total was extended to four days until he made it back to Connecticut.

Cutting Hair, Washing Feet

The goal, Colon said, is to help the community feel better and “feel seen.” A haircut can help build up someone’s confidence, Colon said. Brian agreed with that. Hopefully, Colon added, a fresh haircut can help so that rather than experiencing “everybody looking at you with judgement,” the individuals can instead find their place in rooms of new opportunities. 

Colon’s own life story has provided him with unforgettable lessons due to the “trials and tribulations” he has faced since he was a child. Growing up, Colon was raised by his mother. The two at times struggled with homelessness. Some days, Colon and his mom stayed in homeless shelters and slept under bridges during the winter months. Colon said he has also lost several family members, including his dad, to substance abuse and overdoses.

Those experiences allow Colon to connect even more closely with some of the individuals who find their way to his chair.

While providing the direct help he can to the community, Colon also aims to send a message to those who can also pour into their community. From youth to adults, Colon often shares a message that there is more than one way to help others. “A conversation can go a long way. The shirt off your back can, too. It doesn’t have to just be about money. People get touched by more than money. Just find your way to do it,” he said. 

Colon’s social media videos have been getting thousands of views online, and he said young people reach out asking to help him. He often reminds others that his work comes with risk. For some, their circumstances — like being hungry or mistreated — impact their responses to help. “You may catch them at a bad time, that’s a risk,” he said. He also at times finds himself giving haircuts to those under the influence or drugs or alcohol and therefore identifies risks, like potential overdoses, while they’re in his chair. 

During one haircut on Thursday, a homeless man began nodding off in the chair. Colon asked him, “Are you OK?”

The customer explained, “When I hear clippers I just fall asleep, it’s like a fan to me.” 

Colon’s haircuts are more than just haircuts, he said. They help to restore a person’s dignity by getting cleaned up and by having the chance to sit in a barber’s chair like any other man and have a conversation about anything. 

After Brian’s haircut, New Haven native Joseph Nicholas, who is also facing homelessness, took a seat in Colon’s chair. But he wasn’t there for a haircut. Instead, he got a fresh pair of socks and his feet cleaned by Colon. 

As Colon began using soap and water to wash each of Joseph’s feet, he told him, “In the Bible, John Chapter 13, Verses 4 and 5, Jesus washes all of his disciples’ feet. And I’m not better than him, so I can do it, too,” he said. 

Since taking his journey to social media, Colon has been considering collaborations and partnerships with different organizations interested in helping him provide the resources needed to maintain barbering around town. 

Social media has also become an avenue for him to at times be connected directly with some of the family members of the people whose hair he cuts. Joseph was reconnected with his sonthrough Colon’s social media. 

After Colon finished up with Joseph on Thursday, he also gave him a hoodie.

“I needed this, I don’t got one,” Joseph responded. 

After he got out of the chair, Joseph cheered. “Woah, I feel way better now. I’m walking better already.”

Brian and Colon in new hoodies sporting Colon’s social media handles.