LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio – Mike Palmer, Army veteran and father of four, always knew he wanted to be a barber.
“Well I started, I was a truck driver and had a barber’s license for a few years and kept it, kept it active,†he said.
What would you like to know
- Originally from Lorain County, Mike Palmer always wanted to become a barber
- The Barber in Black opened a little over a year ago
- Palmer has a plan to tackle the current challenges of inflation; it offers customers affordable prices by anticipating
It wasn’t until Palmer’s children grew up that he decided to embark on this journey.
“A few years ago I started working at local salons, driving a truck at night, delivering from Ford, Avon Lake to Buffalo,†he said. “I worked three days a week out of the salon up front and built up a client base until I had enough to open a hair salon. ”
While his shop, Barber in Black, opened just over a year ago, Palmer said he is already seeing the effects of inflation.
The US Department of Labor reported that inflation is accelerating at its fastest rate since 1982, rising to 6.8% since November 2020.
“The future concerns me because, like I said, it’s the families that it really affects. It doesn’t affect anyone on Wall Street; it does not affect the elites; it just affects families, â€he said.
The Consumer Price Index shows an average price increase of 4.9% for all items excluding food and energy.
Hair salon and barbershop owners said this percentage resulted in higher prices for customers. They said it was a problem compounded by supply chain issues.
However, Palmer said he was ready to take on these challenges.
“I keep going, if you can see here a three month supply of everything because the supply chain is pretty tough, you know, so no matter what I do, I keep a big supply,” he said. declared. “I keep three months of supply and when I get to about six weeks I order more. So I’m about to place an order this week because I’m at this point. ”
He said he was anticipating and buying the best products.
“I don’t buy cheap stuff, though, you know, I buy the best stuff. I use all Cantu products for my shaves, for my hair care. As far as I’m concerned, these are the best products. You know, Cantu Ointment, Cantu Shave. You know these are all good products, â€he said.
By doing this he said he can offer affordable prices to his customers.
“The prices are: Seniors, Vets and Kids, and I call kids anyone in school 18 and under, costs $ 12. Everyone costs $ 15, â€he said. “You can get a shave if you’re a senior for $ 12. But if not, you can get a haircut and shave combo for $ 25. You can purchase the gift certificate for $ 24. You can purchase haircut gift certificates for $ 12. And they’re good for a year. So the price is not going to increase now. My prices won’t go up next year anyway, you know.
Palmer said that although the future is uncertain, he is proud to serve his community.
“I care about the community and I love being here and me and I’ll tell you, it’s really a retirement job for me anyway because I love to do that. It’s not like work for me. You know, I can talk to people, you know, â€he said.
Palmer said you can find the business on Facebook at “The Barber in Black.”
