ENGLEWOOD — An Englewood barber has plans to bring more than just fresh cuts to the community.
Longevity Barber Lounge’s Kenneth Clayton, or “KC,” wants to have an impact on local youths. It starts with image, said the Englewood resident. “First impressions” are everything, he said, which is why he and his four barbers wear shirts and ties. He’s hoping to set an example in a community where positive male role models are few and far between, he said.
“When you’re in urban attire people have a certain perception about you,” he said. “The shirt and tie kind of breaks the ice.”
Clayton opened in June on the corner of 68th Street and South Ashland Avenue. There’s a vacant lot behind his building. He envisions hosting comedy shows and spoken word nights during the warmer months.
Reporter Andrea V. Watson talks about the way Kenneth Clayton runs his barbershop.
Clayton is also working on starting a male mentoring program. Once a month the children and teens from the neighborhood will come to the shop, where they’ll eat, play chess, talk and more. He wants to create a safe place for them to share their thoughts. Clayton is considering turning it into an all-night event that will end with church in the morning.
“We want to let them know that there are still people out here who care about them,” he said.
Besides reaching out to the community’s younger generation, Clayton said he also wants to bring back the traditional feel of the barbershop.
“The urban community has lost a little bit of the old school classic way about the barbershop,” he said. “The barbershop was once the pillar of the community and so I’m trying to bring that back.”
He’s doing that by creating a family-friendly environment and providing good customer service, he said. Last Thursday, his godmother sang while playing on the keyboard that was set up in the back of the shop. His barber Alphonzo Patton joined her. The live entertainment isn’t unusual, Clayton said. He wants people to feel at home when they enter his shop.
There are three simple rules customers must follow: no profanity, sagging pants or gang activity.
“This can’t be a hip hop barbershop because I want to cater to all ages,” he said.
Willie Outlaw, 57, likes what Clayton is doing in the community. He “admires” Clayton’s efforts to make a difference and says that it’s needed in the African-American community.
He’s been his barber for two months.
“I like the atmosphere,” said Outlaw, an Englewood resident. “When I came, he made me feel right at home. We had good conversation, not like at these other barbershops.”
Longevity is open seven days a week. Appointments are required for Sundays and Mondays. Clayton specializes in mohawks, afros and bald fades. Call 872-267-5414 to book with him or his other barbers. Longevity is on social media at LongevityBLounge.
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